


Sorry, we're clothed

by Myulalie



Series: Three good scenes and no bad scenes [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Body Shots, Inspired by Magic Mike (Movies), Lapdance, M/M, Male Strippers, Mutual Pining, Pining, Stripper!AU, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Stripping, Summer break, Whipped Cream, older sibling!isabelle, plot diverges from the movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:07:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25049653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myulalie/pseuds/Myulalie
Summary: Alec lost his scholarship and is now estranged from his parents. He’s sleeping on his pregnant sister’s couch and tired of fighting. When he quits (or is fired, depending on the point of view) his summer job and on top of that, his car breaks down, it’s just one more problem he doesn’t have time to deal with.Life is hardly fair and Alec’s sleeping arrangement already attest to this harsh truth. Of course, that’s when he meets Magnus.Magnus is thirty. By day he works as a tour guide and creates his own custom made jewelry, dreaming of starting his own business. But the job that pays the biggest bills (and Magnus has many of those) is the one he does at night: he is the start attraction of The Downworld Club, where he performs among Pandemonium, a group of male strippers. Magnus has no issue with it but he knows he can only do it for so long…And who would want to date a stripper? When your life is a fantasy, how do you deal with reality?
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood
Series: Three good scenes and no bad scenes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940521
Comments: 42
Kudos: 131





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lalelilolu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalelilolu/gifts).



> Hello there! If you've read my Devil Wear Prada AU you know I follow the script to a point but there is definitely a different take on the scenes from the movie, so this won't be exactly the same plot of Magic Mike. If you haven't read [Never wear anything that panics the cat](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24724342/chapters/59764774) though, I can only suggest you give it a try while you wait for chapter 2 here!
> 
> Please note the tag **older sibling!Isabelle**. Isabelle was born before Alec and Max as their little brother doesn't exist in this story.
> 
> Also, I blame the [Malec Discord Server](https://discord.gg/C26DBxG) for this fic ♥ Come and join us!
> 
> You can tweet me at **#myulalie**!

Magnus wakes up to the rustle of fabric and mumbles into his silk covered pillow, golden light pouring through the window and onto his naked back. His bedroom is a mess of discarded clothes and scattered shoes, the ideal playground for the cat that seemingly decided to interrupt Magnus’ beauty sleep. 

“Come on Chairman, just a little longer...”

To his surprise, Chairman Meow replies. 

“You know, I have to go commando today because someone ripped off my favorite pair of panties last night.”

Magnus lifts his head and looks around, blinking sleep away from his eyes. There is a woman in his bed, naked and covered in roses. She’s fast asleep and her tattoos come alive as her chest raises and falls, her long hair a sea of scarlet falling off her shoulder and revealing a golden chain around her neck. It looks like thorns. 

There is another woman in the middle of the room, her face hidden by glistening blond locks like she trapped the sun in her wavy hair. She’s fastening her pants around her waist and Magnus chuckles as her reply finally makes sense to his slowly awaking mind.

“It’s not funny! They were my grandma’s!”  
“There were _not_ your grandma’s.”  
“They could have been.”  
“As if Camille Belcourt wore anything from her grandma. Can you throw me that dressing gown right here?” 

Camille grabs the night blue gown as he sits up and it falls on the sleeping woman. Magnus frowns and picks it up carefully, slipping it on with a sigh. Chairman Meow isn’t in the room, of course. They locked him out as they stumbled on his bed last night.

“What are we gonna do about her?” Camille asks.  
“I don’t know, what was her name again?” 

Camille looks at him pointedly and he squints right back at her because how is he supposed to remember? She glares in silence and Magnus stands up, glancing at the woman sleeping in his bed. He remembers the taste of her skin and the smell of her perfume. He doesn’t think she was wearing much to begin with and picks up his own discarded shirt and pants, brushing imaginary flecks of dust off the smooth fabric. 

“What? I don’t… I’m sorry, what’s her name?” Magnus turns to Camille with a flash of understanding. “ _You_ don’t even know!”  
“I do.”  
“You found her. You have to remember her.”  
“I know her name.” Camille bites her lip, slipping her shirt on.  
“What is it, then?”  
“It’s...” Suddenly she shouts. “TITANIA!” 

The woman doesn’t stir and Magnus chuckles. He tightens the dressing gown around his waist and walks into the bathroom, waving at Camille to make herself at home.

“Whatever her name was, she was fun.” He calls over his shoulder.

He looks like a raccoon and shrieks at his reflection in the mirror, jumping into the shower to get rid of last night make up. Scalding hot water and his morning routine make him presentable enough to walk into the living room, shrugging a tank top on. Camille is snacking on pretzels and sneers at his cat before turning her attention to him and doesn’t bat an eye at the ‘BI BI BI’ inscription on the low cut shirt. 

Chairman Meow stares her down from the back of the patched up couch, always wary of strangers in the loft. The cat is so shy and tiny that he never ventures outside. Magnus frowns as he catches sight of the necklace dangling from Camille’s fingers. It’s a pure white shell tied to a strip of leather, with golden threads twirling around it. 

“That’s a cool necklace. Where did you get it? We don’t have shells like that around here.”  
“Indonesia. I made it.” Magnus checks his reflection in the mirror.  
“You made that? You should sell these things.”  
“Well, thank you. That’s actually the idea. But the market hasn’t really hit the sweet spot yet. I’m waiting for the bank to make the competitive loans I’m looking for and then I’ll swoop in.”  
“Cool.” Camille drops the necklace on the coffee table and shakes the pack of pretzels in case there is some left.  
“I’m leaving,” Magnus gestures at the front door. “you guys are good?”  
“What? You’re just gonna leave us?” Camille wipes her head around to look at him.  
“Yeah. What, are you going to snoop for other necklaces and steal them?”  
“Probably. That’s what strangers do.”  
“Don’t… do that? Maybe?” Magnus suggests, arching an eyebrow.  
“Okay.”  
“So, I’m going to see you again?”  
“Hm, yeah probably. I don’t know. I’ll call you.”

Magnus knows, deep down, that Camille has no intention of calling because she never does and scratches The Chairman’s head on his way out to hide his disappointment. He hurries down the stairs thinking that there is nothing of value inside his run down apartment in Brooklyn and there is no lock on the door anyway. Honestly, his amber F-Type Jaguar is probably worth more than the whole building.  
  
  
  
Magnus parks near St Patrick’s Church some time later, extra careful as he gets out of the car and peeks inside the one right next to him. There is a man asleep on the front seat, raven hair falling onto his fair skin and Magnus checks the space between their cars twice before heading towards the front steps of the church.

A business woman with long, shiny black hair greets him with brief eye contact, her eyes dark gray and beady like a snake’s and her slim figure highlighted by the suit she’s wearing. Awkward looking students, barely out of university for summer break, linger a few steps away from her, next to a sign reading _One Hell of a Tour!_.

“Where are the others?” Magnus asks, lowering his voice.  
“Last minute, I got these guys instead.”  
“So what am I supposed to do with them?” Magnus narrows his eyes, glancing between her and the students.  
“Hey, you Lily?” A man calls before she can answer his question.  
“Lilith.” She snaps.  
“Alec.” The newcomer replies evenly. 

Magnus recognizes the sleeping man from before and smiles to himself as their eyes meet. Blue, as though his raven hair and fair skin weren’t attractive enough. He’s tall, towering above Lilith and her Louboutin. She doesn’t acknowledge Alec and glances between them instead before she speaks again. 

“This is Magnus, you guys are gonna be working together.”  
“Excuse me?” Magnus chokes.  
“Give me a minute, just go over there.” She shoes Alec away.  
“Are you kidding? He’s wearing a hoodie. With holes in it. And combat boots. He’s gonna faint or something, standing in the sun all day!”  
“Magnus, do me a favor. Go over there and do it for 14 bucks an hour.” Lilith squeezes his shoulder, her voice going all soft and motherly.  
“I’m gonna do it for 20 bucks an hour.” Magnus says, taking a step back.  
“I’ll give you 18.”  
“I’m leaving.”  
“You’re like my son.” She calls after him.  
“The son which you’re gonna pay 20 dollars an hour.” Magnus throws over his shoulder, walking away. 

She caves in and Magnus beams, skipping towards the students she hired for the day. Lilith isn’t lying, she was Asmodeus’ — his father — closest friend and doesn’t have children of her own. Magnus shakes his head, chasing the thoughts away and walks up to Alec. 

The young man has taken a seat on the steps and the church looms over his slender frame. Lilith turns towards the students and one of them hovers close to her until he catches Magnus starring, immediately stepping away. 

Magnus takes note of his platinum blond hair and dark eyes before he turns back to Alec.

“Have you ever done a private tour before?”  
“No.” 

Magnus pales, taken aback by Alec’s slightly dismissive reply. He gives him a map anyway and Lilith calls the students out in pairs. Magnus frowns when she takes the blond boy with her but tourists are already gathering at the bottom of the stair and he watches as Alec stands up. There is a tattoo on his neck, the shape of an arrow pocking out of his hoodie.

“How did you get this job anyway?” Magnus asks, tearing his eyes away from the other man’s throat.  
“There was a flyer in a café.” Alec shrugs.  
“And you applied even though you’re not a tour guide?”  
“We all need a summer job,” Alec nods at the other students. “and I’m doing a degree in history.”  
“Right.”

The tour goes well. Alec doesn’t talk much and lets Magnus handle most of the questions but he keeps up with the group they’re leading through the streets with ease. He speaks Spanish, which explains why Lilith paired them together as they can converse with the tourists trailing behind them. Alec’s voice carries in the busy streets and at the end of the day, their group is quite happy with both of them, to Magnus’ never ending surprise. 

They walk up the steps of St Patrick’s Church and Lilith watches over the students as they grab a can of soda from the cooler she dragged out of her car. The blond boy Magnus already noticed hangs around as Alec glances inside the cooler. He picks a can and nods at Magnus before jogging down the steps without a word. 

Magnus shakes his head, wondering about students and their manners as he grabs a can for himself. Lilith gives him a twenty and packs up her things, rolling up the _One Hell of a Tour!_ banner as the students scatter. 

Magnus grins as he takes a sip of his drink and slides the banknote in the pocket of his skinny jeans. He lingers on the steps, soaking into the last rays of sunlight and frowns when he hears Lilith scolding someone.

“What have you got in your bag?” She holds onto Alec’s arm.  
“A cheese sandwich?” He deadpans, tossing his empty can of soda in a bin.  
“You know how to read? One soda a day. I’m gonna do my inventory, if I come up short I’m coming right at you.” Lilith doesn’t look amused.  
“Don’t bother, I won’t work for you again.” Alec snaps. 

Magnus frowns and glances between them, unsure of what he should do when he notices the blond boy from before trying to sneak past Lilith while her back is turned. Magnus reaches out and grabs him back the back of his shirt, dragging him towards Lilith as Alec walks away. 

“I think this one stole the can you’re looking for.” 

Lilith turns around and looks at them sharply, her face a mixture of shock and disappointment as she looks at the blond student’s face. Magnus releases him and leaves her to deal with him as she sees fit. 

Alec’s car is still parked next to his amber Jaguar and Alec kicks one of the wheels angrily as Magnus walks closer.

“Is it dead?”  
“What’s what?” Alec startles.  
“I think it’s dead,” Magnus repeats, looking the car over. “need a ride? I’m sorry about Lilith, she can be nasty sometimes.” 

Alec frowns and shrugs, jumping into Magnus’ car with an appreciative nod. He looks around as they get out of the car park and into the street, whistling appreciatively. Magnus smiles to himself, keeping an eye on the other man and panicks as Alec leans forward to pick at the plastic protecting the car. 

“What are you doing? Stop!”  
“Sorry.” Alec looks sheepish and leans forward again, inspecting the protection.  
“It’s new. It’s gonna stay new if you don’t rip the plastic off.”  
“Why do you have that?”  
“Because it protects the car. I’m going to rip it off when I’m ready to rent another one.” 

Low music plays in the car, a heady beat and sensual voices to fill in the silence between Alec and Magnus. It’s the most words they exchanged since this morning and Magnus can’t help talking again, eager to know more about the guy who made it through the day without trouble only to quit as soon as he got paid. 

“Where are you from?”  
“The Hamptons.” Alec mumbles.  
“Did you play basket ball?” Magnus asks, grinning.  
“Yeah.”  
“Well, you’re certainly tall enough.”  
“I wish I wasn’t, I don’t quite fit on my sister’s couch.” 

Magnus doesn’t ask anything else, sensing Alec’s unease. He drops him off at his sister’s, presumably and drives away. He cannot help but wonder if he should have asked for young man’s number. Alec wasn’t talkative but he didn’t strike Magnus as entirely disinterested in spite of his almost dismissive replies. Shy, maybe but it’s too late and Magnus doesn’t dwell on it, humming along to the song playing on the radio.

  


* * *

  


Isabelle’s apartment is neat and tidy. It’s small but she makes the best of what space she has available with light colored furniture and too many mirrors to Alec’s taste. 

He avoids looking at them as he comes in and buries his entire face in a book instead, lounging on the couch. His legs are dangling off the edge when Isabelle finally makes it home after a long day at the hospital, tossing her scrubs into the dirty laundry basket and dropping her keys on a side table.

“Can you drop me off at my car tonight?” He asks, not looking up.  
“No sorry, I’m having dinner with Simon. I can take you tomorrow morning though. What time do you have to be at work?”  
“I need to talk to you about that…” Alec sighs, dropping his book. “the lady accused me of stealing. I didn’t, some other guy did it. So I quit.”  
“What?” Isabelle gasps, turning to him.  
“I’m just so tired of this, Izzy. Can’t life be fair for once?”  
“Alec...”

He blinks, not meeting his sister’s dark eyes. Isabelle is one hell of a woman, tall and slim, drowning in a sea of ink-black hair that goes down to her waist. She pushes his legs off the couch and sits next to him with a sigh, grabbing his hand. He avoid her eyes still, looking at her slowly rounding belly instead and smiling to himself. She must be just as tired as he is and Alec side hugs her, muttering an apology for his bad mood.

“What? I also… could do...” He mumbles.  
“What?” Isabelle turns to look at him.  
“What?” Alec echoes.  
“What did you say?”  
“What did you hear?”

He’s smirking and she frowns, staring him down. Isabelle is two years older than him and has her life figured out since she was a little girl and he not even out of their mother’s womb. She’s the eldest, the brave one, the responsible one. When their cat died she pretended Church went off to become a cat actor and showed him countless movies with cats looking a little like theirs. He believed her. 

But right now, she doesn’t believe that he said anything of importance and crosses her arms on her chest, pouting. Alec snaps his book shut and places it on the coffee table, trying not to laugh. 

“You’re doing that thing. You’re doing that game.”  
“What game?” Alec plays dumb.  
“No. You do that all the time. It’s not working anymore.”  
“Talking about games, I could be a gamer.” He shrugs, pointing at the numerous video games stacked under the TV.  
“Oh yeah, you’re so good at it that Simon wins every time.” Isabelle smirks and he sticks his tongue out.  
“I could be the voice of an audio book then.”  
“I can actually picture it you know? You don’t like talking to people but this isn’t exactly like talking to people.” Isabelle muses, actually considering the idea.  
“I have a very good voice. I do great impressions.” Alec nods eagerly.  
“You _do_ do good impressions. What was the one you did last night?”  
“I’m not going to do it now.” He crosses his arms and turns away but she tugs at his sleeves.  
“Do it again, do it again!”  
“No.”  
“Come on!”

Alec relents and turns to face her again, breathing in and closing his eyes. He takes a second to get in character, puffing his chest out and taming his hair before he looks straight at his sister. 

“What is that _warlock_ doing here? Gideon-” Suddenly he raises his voice, imitating a famous queer character from their favorite TV show. “ **enough!** ” 

Isabelle squeals and fans herself, grinning. 

“Okay, all right. In case that doesn’t work out, why don’t you come to dinner with Simon and me tonight? You can ask him if any of his friends need a PA or something.”

Alec rolls his eyes while she texts her fiancé but follows her out the door when she’s ready to leave. Isabelle looks lovely in a lavender dress but he winces at the sight of his sister hugging herself to hide her scars. She got them after she had some tattoos removed. She claims it to be her typical ‘I’m a stupid twenty-one years old’ mistake but Alec was younger and right there with her in the tattoo parlor at the time. 

He tugs at the collar of his hoodie as they walk into the restaurant, hiding the black arrow piercing through his jugular and nestling under his jaw. It’s a bold design, something that makes most people uncomfortable from the sheer violence of it. Alec felt like he couldn’t breathe at the time, suffocating in a web of lies and truths untold. 

They settle in front of Simon, who pushes his glasses up his nose and immediately takes Isabelle’s hand, kissing her knuckles. Simon fell head over heels for Isabelle when Alec was still in high school. Both men never had much in common and sometimes he wonders what Isabelle finds in her fiancé but Alec doesn’t like most people. He sighs, listening as she tells them about her day and they order food. 

He’s mostly drooling on his plate by the time the waiter comes back with the check. The restaurant is quiet and their plates were almost too full, hence Alec’s drowsing off by the end of the three-course meal. It’s warm inside and cosy with dark wood and dim yellow lights. Simon rambles on, loosening his tie and holding his credit card out for the waiter to take with a smile. 

“But sometimes people want to, you know… They think they’re owed a lot more than they are and it sucks because I have to be the guy who tells them that they’re not going to be able to rebuild their houses. Anyway, let’s talk about something else.”

Isabelle squeezes his hand, always supportive of her fiancé and goes to knock back the cocktail in front of them. Simon probably forgot about his drink as he kept talking on and on about his job. It takes its toll on him. They almost drop the glass as Simon reaches to stop Isabelle and their hands bump. 

“Wait wait! You can’t, the baby!” Simon cries out.  
“I’m so sorry.” Isabelle lets go the drink and looks anywhere but at them.  
“No worries.” Simon wraps his arms around her, kissing her hair.  
“I just forgot.”  
“It’s okay, Max is just a tiny thing, even I forget sometimes and then I get overjoyed all over again,” Simon beams. “someone will finish it, I think.” 

Alec meets his eyes over Isabelle’s head and grabs the drink, gulping it down. He winces at the taste, it’s too strong or maybe it’s just alcohol, Alec has never enjoyed it. Simon doesn’t notice, babbling again.

“There you go. There’s a taker. Good?” 

Alec shakes his head and shrugs his hood on, standing up to leave. Isabelle frowns, raising as well but he hugs her briefly, muffling her questions. Simon doesn’t even reach her chin when he stands up as well, keeping an arm on her back. It’s a sweet gesture, if a bit useless. Isabelle can take a biker down in her stilettos, she was always the one to threaten Alec’s boyfriends when they were younger. 

“Where are you going?” She asks, watching him closely.  
“I’ll just hang out for a bit. You’re good to go home with Simon?” 

Isabelle nods reluctantly, squeezing his arm as Alec shakes Simon’s hand and heads out.  
  
  
  
Alec wanders the street, listening to music pouring out of nightclubs and shoving his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans. He stumbles upon a long line in front of one of those clubs and considers waiting in the queue to get in when he catches sight of a familiar face. Alec cranes his neck, narrowing his eyes, is that pink streaks of hair in a smooth charcoal quiff? 

He comes closer and recognizes Magnus’ tanned mid-riff, that Alec has seen exposed to the polluted New York air all day. Alec hurries towards the tour guide that kindly drove him home earlier that evening. Magnus is almost at the door, chatting with the bouncer as he waits for his turn and Alec calls his name. 

“Magnus!” 

Magnus turns around and beams when he catches sight of Alec’s face under his hood, waving him over and grabbing his elbow as the bouncer lets a few girls in. They giggle as they walk past them and Alec frowns, wondering what’s so funny when Magnus raises his voice to be heard over the music pouring out of the club.

“Hi, I didn’t think I’d see you again!”  
“Me neither. Are you going in?”  
“Yeah.” Magnus replies distractedly, smiling as more people go in.  
“Can I come with you?” 

Alec stumbles on his words. He is, generally, quite forward but this feels like he’s hitting on Magnus instead of asking for a favor. Magnus gives him a once over, tilting his head and arching his eyebrows. His eyes are circled with kohl and is lips are suspiciously glossy. 

“They’re never gonna let you in like that.” Magnus sighs.  
“Come on, I’d do anything.” Alec tries again.  
“It’s not my fault pretty boy, I would let you in but this isn’t my club.”  
“Okay.”

Well, sounds like Alec is sleeping on his sister’s couch again tonight. He hangs his head in defeat and shuffles his feet, frustrated with himself. Magnus’ hold on his elbow tightens just as Alec turns around and more people go in.

“All right. You’re going to owe me.”  
“I promise.” Alec immediately agrees.  
“I mean it. Owe me, no questions asked.” Magnus repeats, lowering his voice.  
“Anything.”  
“Take your hood off. Try to look a little more… tuck your hoodie in. You can’t look so disheveled when you’re wearing combat boots or people will get the wrong idea.”  
“Sorry, they’re the only shoes I got.” Alec mutters, doing as he’s told.

Magnus taps the bouncer on the shoulder and points at Alec, waiting for his nod before he dragging the younger man inside. Alec tastes artificial sugar in the smoke that lingers on the dance floor and nearly bumps into Magnus when he stops to kiss a waiter on the cheek, grabbing a glass from the tray they carry. 

“Hey pumpkin, can I borrow one of these? Thank you,” Magnus turns to Alec then. “grab one.”  
“Is it free?” Alec asks warily, eyeing the waiter.

They are tall and muscular, with long dark hair piled up in a bun on top of their tattooed face. Alec frowns, rubbing his throat at the reminder of his own skin, inked rather than sliced open.

“Don’t worry, you’re gonna earn your keep.” Magnus says, shrugging. 

Alec takes a glass gingerly and drowns the shot, wincing at the taste of cheap, overly sweet alcohol. He follows Magnus further into the club, skirting the dance floor to settle at a table with two women who welcome Magnus with a hug.

“Ladies meet Alec,” The older man makes the introductions, pointing at them in turn. “Dolly and Kitty.”  
“Hey,” Alec mutters, spooked by the low cut of what looks like bikini tops, barely covering the women’s voluptuous cleavages.  
“So what are we thinking? Yes, no, maybe?” Magnus goes on.  
“Oh yeah,” One of them replies but Alec forgot her name. “the cougars will eat him up.”  
“That’s a quality endorsement my friend.” Magnus agrees.  
“What do you guys do?” Alec wonders aloud, suddenly suspicious and they chuckle.  
“Come here,” Magnus says, taking him aside. “when a woman tells you her name starts with a flower, a car, a stone or any term of endearment, don’t bother asking what she does.”

Magnus leans in closely to be heard over the music playing on the speakers and Alec’s face burns as a blush creeps its way on his cheeks. He glances back at the women but he can barely distinguish their features in the dim, purple light of the club. 

“Alright, I don’t have that much time so I’m calling in my favor, okay?” Magnus grins and leads him away from the table, turning to the bar.  
“Sure.” Alec agrees anxioulsy.  
“You see the Asian girl with the tiara thing and the sash? Go and talk to her.”  
“What do you want me to say?” Alec gasps.  
“I don’t care. Have you never talked to a girl before? Just go, be creative.” Magnus pushes him forward.  
“She does not look like she wants to be bothered.” Alec protests.  
“Look at what she’s wearing, she came here tonight to be bothered and have fun so go bother her.” 

He hesitates still, even though he knows Magnus doesn’t mean anything crass or gross by this. The girl looks happy, if not frustrated with the bartender and keeps fumbling with the sparkly tiara in her short dark hair. There is another girl with her and the girl wearing a tiara exchanges a secret smile with her friend when she pushes a blond lock of hair behind her ear. 

“You want to be inside or outside?” Magnus huffs, nudging him.  
“Inside.”  
“I’ll come save you in a minute,” The older man tells him, winking. “go.” 

Alec walks towards the girls reluctantly, racking his brain for something to say. Nothing comes to mind of course, because Alec has never talked to a girl before. The bar is crowded and a guy bumps into the girl wearing a tiara, sneering at her when she lets out a cry of pain. Alec acts without thinking, grabbing the man’s shoulder and using his height to his advantage as he pushes the stranger away from the girls.

“Watch out, you’re going to knock my girlfriend.”  
“Oh yeah?” The guy taunts.  
“Yeah, what the fuck are you gonna do?” Alec growls, invading his personal space.

The man seems to rethink his decision and shrugs Alec’s hand off his shoulder, leaving with one last sneer at their intention. Alec immediately deflates and turns to the girls with a sheepish smile when they giggle. They’re wearing dresses and high heels, holding onto the counter and shuffling their feet to rest their legs. 

“Hi, do I know you?” The one with the tiara asks, smirking.  
“Hi, no, I’m huh...” Alec stutters.  
“I didn’t know I had a boyfriend but thank you for that. All the straight guys here are fucking obnoxious.” 

Alec chuckles nervously but doesn’t correct her. She’s petite, looks almost fragile next to his tall frame but her slanted eyes burn with a fire that makes Alec think she didn’t need his help with the rude man from before. Her high cheekbones stand out when she smiles, linking her hand with her friend, or maybe a little more, Alec muses. The height difference between the girls is just on the right side of cute and Alec wishes he could be friend with people like them. 

“Who do we have to fuck to get a drink?” The blonde one asks.  
“We’ve been standing around here for quite a while. I’m 21 and I can’t get drunk.”  
“You’re 21?” Alec repeats. 

They point at the sash she’s wearing over her blue dress and he reads a birthday message, glancing at the tiara in the petite girl’s hair. Music echoes all around, the bass line like a pulse for the nightlife of New York. 

“Happy birthday!”  
“Thanks! I’m Aline,” the birthday girl introduces herself. “and this is Helen.”  
“Alec.” He replies, shaking their hands.

Someone throws an arm around his shoulders and he tenses before he catches whiff of sandalwood and remembers Magnus, who settles against his side like they’ve known each other their whole lives. Alec glances at him from the corner of his eyes, wondering what his skin would feel like against his own. It’s not often that he regrets wearing his favorite hoodie but just tonight, he can see the appeal of a more revealing wardrobe. 

“Here you go darling!” Magnus holds out drinks for them to take. “I can’t find anybody to take these, do you want them?”  
“Can’t say no to free drinks!” Helen agrees, tugging her black dress down her thighs before reaching for a glass.  
“Perfect, we can’t drink them by ourselves. Here’s to our children, may they have rich parents!” Magnus toasts, winking. 

Alec coughs, almost choking on his drink. It’s too sweet again but Magnus’ warmth against his side is intoxicating and he misses part of his conversation with Aline and Helen. They sip on their drinks, humming appreciatively. Alec is, as usual, the only one not enjoying alcohol. 

“You guys go to NYU?” Magnus asks. “It’s summer break, correct?”  
“That’s right.” Alec agrees before any of the girls can speak.  
“And if I’m not mistaken, that says 21, right?” Magnus ignores him and Aline nods. “Then why isn’t she throwing up?” 

Helen gasps at the accusation Magnus just threw her way and tries to defend herself but the older man won’t hear any of her excuses. Alec has an inkling Magnus knows perfectly well that they’re far from friends but the girls seem to find it hilarious. 

“That’s a bad friend you got.” He teases, winking at Aline.  
“I’m not a bad friend, I’m trying!” Helen shrieks again.  
“You are a bad friend.” Aline tells her and they giggle helplessly.  
“See, you heard it from her, I’m just saying...” Magnus goes on. “What are you girls planning on doing tonight?”  
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Helen smirks, hiding behind her glass.  
“If you like to go a little crazy, why don’t you come and see the show?” Magnus suggests, handing out flyers from who knows where. 

His pants are so tight Alec can’t imagine he anything fits in his pockets. He glances at the colorful paper and gaps when he realizes it’s an add for a strip club. _Is that Magnus_ — Helen snatches the flyer before Alec gets a closer look to one of the men displayed. 

“We have a lot of friends here, can they come too?” The blonde girl asks.  
“That’s perfect actually. Hand them these and tell them they get in free at the door.” Magnus replies easily, grinning.  
“Okay, maybe we’ll come.” Aline says, ducking her head to hide a blush.  
“No, that’s not a commitment.” Magnus tuts.  
“Maybe we’ll come if your friend here comes too.” Helen cuts in, looking pointedly at Alec.  
“That’s an easy if, because he will be there. He’s absolutely gonna be here.” Magnus leans more heavily against him as he speaks.  
“I will?” Alec repeats, arching his eyebrows but it goes unnoticed.  
“Then we’ll be there too.” Helen agrees readily.  
“All right, the show starts in 45 minutes. You can make it in 45 minutes? You’re going to come. You swear?” Magnus insists, pointing at Aline and Helen in turn.  
“Yeah, we promise.” 

Helen bites her lower lip and nudges a very embarrassed Aline, giggling helplessly again. Alec shivers with the loss of Magnus’ warmth as the older man steps away, leading the way out of the club. Magnus is buzzing with restless energy and gives a twirl as they step out on the pavement. Alec follows him when he ducks into the back alley of the club. 

“I swear I thought you were going to give up but you actually did it. I feel like I owe you, I can give you body shots for free and even throw in a lap dance and maybe tip you at the end of the night.” Magnus sighs happily. 

The nagging realization from before comes back in full force and Alec trips on his feet. They stumbled into another street and a sign glows brightly in the dark, blinking above the entrance of another club. It reads ‘Demon’ and ‘Pandemonium’ alternatively as people line up to get inside.

“You’re a stripper!” Alec blurts out.  
“Who’s your friend Magnus?” People catcall when they notice them.  
“I hope you’re ready for this.” Magnus replies, grinning.

Alec is pretty sure he isn’t.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec follows Magnus to The Downworld, a strip club...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parental advisory, explicit content ahead.

Alec follows Magnus down a few steps, going further in The Downworld Club. The walls are covered in red velvet, sound-proof panels except for the wall on the other end of the room and a man stands on the round stage in the middle of the nightclub. Alec drags his eyes down the tweed waistcoat and pants the stranger is wearing, eyebrows raising at the sight of the fire torch in his hand.

“Almost makes me want to go back on stage and go all Valhalla on them. You see that Magnus? Chicks are gonna go crazy over this. I’m thinking of giving this routine to Jace, unless you want it.” The man wearing tweed says.  
“Somebody should do it, it’s cool. Give it to Jace.” Magnus replies, nodding.

It must be the manager, Alec thinks distractedly. The stranger puts the fire away and shakes his head, platinum blond hair falling on his green eyes. He looks distinctively northern European and frowns as he notices Alec, jumping off stage. 

“And who is this?” The manager asks, studying him warily.  
“This is Alec, he wrangled nine sorority girls for us tonight so I figured he could help out around here tonight.” Magnus throws an arm around Alec’s shoulders again, leaning against him with a wide grin.  
“How old are you?”  
“I’m 21.” Alec replies.  
“That’s something at least but I can’t have him host.” The manager sighs, running a hand along his tweed waist coat, soothing any crinkles he comes across.  
“Then he can do the props can’t he?” Magnus suggests.  
“I can do anything.” Alec nods eagerly.  
“Come on, Ragnor. We’re setting up our own thing so...”  
“All right, props. You’re on the props tonight. Do whatever Magus tells you, any of the guys tell you. Clean the toilet, whatever. Tonight. And listen up, this is not a joke. This is a serious business I’m running so the last thing I need is a liability fucking our future up. Don’t try it.” 

Alec holds back a nervous laugh, nodding instead. Ragnor is the kind of person he gets, but this is a strip club, far from Alec’s usual scene. Magnus pats Alec’s shoulder and steps away, leading the way backstage as Ragnor walks up to the entrance to let the first patrons in. 

The changing room is more familiar to Alec, if he ignores the amount of body lotions, whipped cream cans and underwear on the shelves between each strippers’ locker. There is a sewing machine in the corner and a man with a mane of blonde hair is fixing the hem of a golden thong. Alec doesn’t want to imagine why or how it was ripped in two. 

Two men are chatting next to their lockers, one of them wearing a cop uniform and the other one, a head shorter and scantily clad, rubs the silver cross dangling off his neck. Alec averts his eyes only to lock gazes with a fourth man lounging on a leather couch. 

“Everybody this is Alec. Y’all can thank me later. He’s going to help us out tonight.” Magnus exclaims, clapping his hands together. 

The blonde at the sewing machine whoops loudly at that and the man on the couch beams, reaching up to tighten his ponytail. He’s wearing a suit, something almost as boring as the ones in Alec’s closet but he has a feeling the stripper’s body is worth looking past his clothes.

“This is Luke.” Magnus points at the dark skinned man that looks like a police officer.  
“Captain Garroway to you.” Luke grins, mock-saluting.  
“Raphael,” Magnus goes on and the shorter man next to Luke waves lazily. “and Jace.”  
“Hey man!” The blonde looks up from the sewing machine and smiles.  
“And last but not least, Lorenzo.” Magnus concludes.

The man on the couch offers his hand for Alec to shake and his grip is firm. His fingers brush Alec’s pulse point before letting go and Lorenzo smiles, rubbing his goatee as he settles back in his seat. Magnus slides past against Alec on his way to his own locker, throwing over his shoulder.

“Just tell him what props you need, I’ll help him set them up later. And yeah, have fun, make yourself at home Alec.” 

Alec shuffles his feet, uncomfortable among men he’s used to only dreaming of getting close to. Luke lights up a cigarette and takes a drag, exhaling deeply. Raphael scrunches up his nose and steps away but Jace saunters their way. He’s only wearing loose linen pants and Alec’s eyes widen when he catches sight of the angel wings tattooed on his back. 

“There you go.” Luke offers the cigarette to Alec, distracting him from his contemplation.  
“No, thanks.”  
“No?”  
“No, I’m good.” Alec waves it away.  
“Suit yourself.” Luke shrugs and gives it to Jace instead.

Raphael leans against the sewing machine, looking over the thong Jace was trying to fix. He scowls and throws it to the blonde’s face but Jace catches it easily, folding it neatly and adding it on the shelf with the others. Lorenzo pats the seat next to him to get Alec’s attention.

“Come on, sit down,” Lorenzo nods encouragingly when he complies. “so, how do you know Magnus?”  
“We worked together on a private tour.” Alec replies.  
“ _One Hell of a Tour_ right? What kind of cash you make at that?”  
“Like 10 bucks an hour.”  
“Under the table?” Lorenzo asks again.  
“Yeah.” Alec shrugs.  
“Not bad. And you’re here to help us out.”  
“Yeah, I am.”  
“All right, so we got your first little piece of business,” Lorenzo rolls up the hem of his pants and puts his leg in Alec’s lap. “does this look ashy to you?”  
“What’s that?” Alec tries to push his leg away.  
“Just give it a little spray on the calf here.” Lorenzo insists, shaking a bottle of artificial tan and handing it to Alec.  
“I don’t want to spray your leg.” Alec shakes his head, mildly disgusted with the product.  
“Just do it.”  
“We all had to do it. It’s like initiation. We’ll tip you good at the end of the night. You’ll be a happy man.” Jace calls out. 

Alec scowls but grabs the bottle and shakes it once again before he sprays Lorenzo’s leg. Jace whoops and Luke chuckles, squashing his cigarette butt in an ashtray. Lorenzo relaxes against the back of the couch, resting his leg on Alec’s thighs.

“Make sure you massage it in good.” Raphael comments.  
“Are you serious?”  
“Yeah.” The strippers chorus happily. 

Alec complies again, not bothering to hide his sneer and Lorenzo chuckles.

“He fucking did it!” Jace hoots.

Magnus comes back at that moment and joins in their mirth, laughing. He’s shirtless and sits on the arm of the couch, leather clad leg brushing against Alec’s arm. The older man swats Lorenzo’s leg off Alec’s lap, displaying his black painted nails and tosses the spray at the stripper’s face before explaining their routine to Alec. 

“We let them settle in for a while before doing our solos then we do hot seats. If everything goes well and we get these girls and guys excited enough we jack up the price of the hot seats. It’s easy, all you got to do is hand us our props before we go out on stage. All right? That’s it. That’s all you have to do. You bring out whatever props and everything…”

Magnus trails off when the door of the changing room opens and a tall man strolls in. He’s wearing jeans and a jersey, headphones thrown over a baseball cap. Magnus beckons him over and Alec shakes hands with the stranger, thinking distractedly that he doesn’t look like a stripper.

“There he is, this is Bat, he’s our resident DJ. Bat, Alec, Alec, Bat.” Magnus says, unknowingly confirming Alec’s thoughts. “He’s gonna be the one giving you the cue before each act.”

Bat nods at Alec and holds out a bottle of what looks like home-made alcohol. Magnus stands up and the DJ hands it to him but Magnus waves it away and grabs Alec’s hand instead, helping him to his feet. The stripper’s make up is darker than before and he’s wearing crimson lipstick now. 

“I promised you body shots didn’t I? Let me get the good stuff, this is just going to make you sick.”  
“It’s a family recipe!” Bat calls after them.  
“Have you ever been to a strip club?” Magnus asks Alec, ignoring the DJ. 

Alec shakes his head, embarrassed. They’re still holding hands when Magnus hops on the counter of the backstage bar, hidden away from the club’s patrons. The biggest props are stacked there too and everything remotely dangerous is under lock and key. Magnus lets go of Alec to retrieve a bottle of something probably too sweet to the student’s taste and pours three shots.

“The main rule in a strip club is no touching, unless the stripper tells you to. The Downworld has shirtless waiters so patrons can order body shots. You’ll understand the name in a moment,” Magnus winks. “you drink them without using your hands.” 

Magnus lies down on the counter then and places the first shot on his sternum. Alec stares at him in disbelief because he understood the name alright, but there is no way he can do that. Magnus sends him a cheeky grin, as though daring him to back off and Alec rolls his eyes, leaning over him on the counter. 

All the can see is caramel skin dusted with glitter beneath him and it brings forth thoughts Alec would rather do without. He can barely remember the last time he was so close to someone as he hovers on top of Magnus and wraps his lips around the glass. He throws his head back and swallows alcohol sweeter than soda. 

Magnus arches an eyebrow at his new found confidence and tugs the waistband of his pants down, placing the second shot in the dip of his hipbone. Alec licks his lips, stepping back and holds onto the counter as he tilts his head to grab the glass between his lips, wondering if Magnus’ skin tastes as sweet as the alcohol lingering on his tongue. He wouldn’t mind finding out by dragging the waistband of his leather pants lower and licking at his caramel skin but Alec can’t let himself think such things. 

“Looks like you get everything right on the first try, first being a tour guide then chatting girls up at the bar and now this,” Magnus comments offhandedly. “maybe you can host too.” 

The stripper bites his lower lip before making up his mind and placing the third shot in his mouth. Alec gaps at him and contemplates shaking his head or even retrieving the glass and tossing it in the sink but Magnus’ hooded eyes call to him and he leans over the older man again, bracing himself against the counter.

They’re so close that Alec can see flecks of gold in Magnus’ eyes, the way his eyelashes brush against his caramel skin. Their lips brush too, when Alec grabs the glass and Magus shivers beneath him. 

Alec stumbles in his hast to step away, coughing as he swallows too quickly. Whatever happened just then is over and he’ll make sure not to overthink it, because imagining what the older man’s lipstick tastes like will do him no good.

Ragnor’s impatient call for Magnus to get to work drifts up to them and the stripper slides off the counter, putting the glasses away without a word. He disappears backstage again, his hand lingering on Alec’s hip when they join the others in the changing room and Alec follows the strippers’ indications about their respective props, happy to focus on whatever needs to be done rather than watching them.  
  
  
  
Ragnor storms backstage in the middle of the night, fuming. He tugs at his platinum blond hair, seething at the sight of Lorenzo curled up on the leather couch, completely out of it. 

Alec crouches next to the stripper, pressing a wet clothes to his burning forehead to try and help him cooling down. Lorenzo should have gone on stage five minutes ago and the crowd is growing impatient, shouting for a new act or more hot seats. 

“What happened?” Ragnor growls, staring the strippers down.  
“He drank too much of Bat’s home-made alcohol.” Jace mutters.  
“Wanker. How many times?” Ragnor sighs. 

He paces up and down the changing room, kicking Luke’s abandonned truncheon out of his way. It slides on the floor and disappears beneath a shelf. Nobody says a word as Ragnor turns back around and points at Raphael, the other strippers cowering near their lockers. 

“S&M routine, you up on that?”  
“I’m not putting that out there, negative energy, it’s bad. It comes back.” Raphael shakes his head.  
“Luke, firefighter with the torch?”  
“I got the fire phobia issue...”  
“Jace, angel and demon thing you’ve been doing at home?” Ragnor stops pacing, watching the blonde closely.  
“It’s not ready yet!”  
“We got to do something! Magnus, an idea? Give me something.” Ragnor begs now, growing desperate.  
“You want me to come up with something?” Magnus repeats, leaning almost too casually against the shelves.  
“Bloody yes!” 

Magnus nods once and snatches whipped cream from the shelf before striding towards Alec, gesturing for him to stand up. The stripper’s chest glitters in the cold light of the changing room and Alec struggles not to stare. 

“Let’s see if you get lap dancing right on the first try too, darling.” 

Alec doesn’t have time to protest when Magnus grabs a handful of his hoodie and drags him on stage. The stripper places the whipped cream on the floor and gives Bat the thumbs up to change the track playing on the speakers. The crowd cheers and Alec looks anywhere but at the men and women staring at them as the lights dim and the bass grows heavy. 

Looking at Magnus, it turns out, is a mistake. The older man gives a sinful body roll, pressing boldly against Alec and circles him with his hips moving like a promise as he brings a chair on stage. His painted nail drag on Alec’s shoulder, tug at the collar of his hoodie to bring him closer when they come face to face again. 

Alec’s breath catches in his throat as he feels the palm of Magnus’ hand pressing against his chest and down his stomach. The stripper drops abruptly, guiding Alec’s hand in his hair and his charcoal locks feel soft between Alec’s fingers as Magnus rolls his neck in time with the sensual beat playing on the speakers. He blows a kiss to Alec, holding onto his hand as he spins around to face the crowd. 

The curve of his body when he comes back up has Alec wishing he closed his eyes instead, as Magnus brushes against him in the most pleasurable way. This is not the place yet when the older man presses against Alec and reaches back to tangle his fingers in Alec’s hair, he tilts his head just enough to breath against Magnus’ lips. 

There is something in Magnus’ eyes, taunting him again as he grinds against Alec and the crowd cheers. The stripper looks reluctant to let go of him, pulling at his hair one last time before turning around and pushing Alec back. 

Magnus crowds him again and the sway of his hips his tantalizing, Alec is afraid he’ll stumble on the chair behind him and fall but none of this matters when Magnus reaches for the back of his neck and steals a kiss. 

Alec’s whole world stills but the music keeps playing, nearly drowning as the crowd cheers louder than before. Alec kisses back, lips parting to get a taste of the older man’s tongue and he grabs the back of Magnus’ thighs to lift him up, taking that last step backward to fall on the chair. 

The noise is deafening and Magnus is kissing him still, tongue brushing against Alec’s as he rolls his hips and sinks down in Alec’s lap, pleasure come alive. And maybe, just maybe, Alec could learn to like the attention, molten lava crawling up his veins as people watch _them_.

Magnus’ lipstick is smudged when they break apart and Alec breathes in deeply before letting go of him as he remembers the no-touching rule. The older man picks up the can of whipped cream with a wicked grin and Alec shudders in anticipation, eyes roaming over the stripper. Magnus bares his neck and brings the can to his caramel skin, pouring whipped cream along his throat.

Alec bites his lower lip, tilting his head to lick the sugary cream off his skin when Magnus rolls his hips once more. It takes everything Alec has not to bite down on his pulse point and he throw his head back instead. 

The crowd cheers them on as Magnus leans back, spreading whipped cream on his collarbone. Alec narrows his eyes as the older man presses harder against him, angling his hips just right to drive anyone mad with want. And Alec is just a man, moaning as he tastes sugary cream again and Magnus shifts, rubbing against him.

There is a lull in the music and Magnus tosses the can of whipped cream over his shoulder. Women throw themselves at it, fighting each other and the stripper gives one last sinful roll of his hips before standing up, offering his hand to get Alec to his feet to. 

Magnus bows and Alec is forced to follow but the roar of the crowd cheering for the performance makes his heart beat faster. He craves the rush of adrenaline again already, looking back once, twice before he disappears backstage, stumbling under the strength of Jace when he claps Alec on the back in congratulation.

  


* * *

  


Magnus huffs as he heaves Lorenzo off the couch with Bat’s help. The DJ looks sheepish, grabbing Lorenzo’s arm to throw it over his shoulders and carry most of the strippers weight. They walk out the back door of the Downworld Club where a cab is waiting and Magnus holds onto Lorenzo as Bat climbs inside the yellow car. 

“Home-made recipe, huh?” Magnus comments.  
“Mama’s secret recipe.” Bat agrees without meeting his eyes.

Lorenzo whines, head rolling on his shoulder and Magnus hesitates before helping him on the back seat of the cab. Lorenzo doesn’t look like he’s going to be sick but Magnus is not sure he wants to take that risk. The night breeze bites at his exposed mid-riff and the shivers, eager to go back inside and warm up again.

Bat checks that Loenzo is sitting as comfortably as possible considering the state is in and gives the address to the driver, who eyes them warily through the rear view mirror. Magnus steps back, nodding once at Bat and slams the door shut, watching the yellow car disappear at the corner of the street. Late night traffic is barely better than in the middle of the day. 

He sighs as he heads back inside and stops at the bar backstage to make some more coffee, knowing he’ll need it. Magnus sits at a table in the main room and gets started on the piles of banknotes Ragnor and the strippers gathered during the night. 

Magnus listens to the murmur of conversation at the bar as he gets to the bottom of the last pile, his mug empty next to him. The Downworld is empty too, except for the strippers and Alec and Magnus can’t help stealing glances at the younger man. He’s smiling at something Jace said, nursing a cup of coffee between his large hands. 

A shiver runs down the stripper’s spine as he remembers those hands on his thighs, carrying him easily and he looks away. He puts some banknotes aside for the student, true to his word since Alec did more than his part helping them tonight.

“How we do tonight Magnus?” Ragnor asks, sitting down next to him.  
“It’s a little under $2500, that’s 400 better than last week.”  
“That’ll work. What you did tonight was dangerous, throwing that kid on stage like that.” Ragnor is staring, scolding him half-heartedly.  
“It worked though didn’t it?” Magnus replies, giggling.  
“I didn’t know if it would until he picked you up. So, what’s his story?”

Magnus bites his lower lip, savoring the memory once again as he leans back on his chair and crosses his arms. He shrugs, glancing at Alec again and Ragnor follows his gaze. Jace claps him on the shoulder and Luke barks out a laugh. Even Raphael seems taken with him, speaking up at times instead of scowling silently. 

“I don’t know, he’s not very talkative. I met him at work today, ran into him at the club. He’s as gay as they come but he roped lesbians into coming here with their sorority tonight so I figured I’d bring him along.” Magnus eventually replies.  
“It was a good move. He may have something, he’s young, good-looking.” Ragnor agrees.

He watches Magnus intently, has probably picked up on his barely concealed attraction already. What can he say? Ragnor is right, Alec is good looking and that’s the first thing Magnus noticed about him. He likes that the younger man stood up to Lilith and wonders about him since that morning and Alec’s dismissive replies to his questions.

“He can’t dance to save his life.” Magnus chirps when silence drags on for too long.  
“But that is teachable. We could use some more youth on the team. Why don’t you bring him to practice tomorrow and we’ll see what he’s got?” Ragnor suggests and Magnus nods.

He can tell Alec liked being the center of attention, once he got over his initial stage-fright. Magnus loves hearing the crowd he never really sees, dancing like no one is watching. The Downworld Club looks different in the dark, but right now it’s about family and friends and he turns to Ragnor with a lazy smile.

“So, what is going on with Miami?”  
“Miami is looking good. Got a couple of loopholes I got to get through with the real-estate attorneys but after that it’s gonna be all green lights.” Ragnor smiles as he says this.  
“What do you need from me? What’s my side?”  
“Just keep doing what you’re doing. I love where your head’s at, you’re focused, you’re like a big brother to this team.”

Ragnor squeezes his shoulder before ducking into his office to put the money safely away. Magnus gathers each stripper’s pay and stands up, joining his coworkers at the bar. He hands one stack at Raphael, grinning when the younger man scowls and slides it in his man purse. 

“Nice, where did you get it?” Magnus asks, pointing at the bag.  
“Hilarious. It was a gift from you.”  
“You never said thank you.” Magnus points out, shrugging.  
“Nobody forced you to buy me a gift, even less to remind me everytime you see it.” Raphael growls.  
“What go your panties in a twist amigo?” Jace cuts in, leaning his elbow on Raphael’s shoulder.

They’re almost the same height and Raphael shrugs him off, stalking away. Magnus chuckles, handing out the blonde’s keep. Jace shoves the banknotes in the pocket of his leather jacket and checks his hair in the mirror on the wall. 

“It was nice meeting you, Alec!” Jace hugs Alec and everyone else.

He whistles to himself as he steps outside and Magnus is pretty sure he’ll pick a girl up on the way home. Jace has the bad boy look down and the confidence that goes with it, witty comebacks and easy smiles to win anyone over. 

“Kids these days...” Luke sighs, shaking his head. 

Magnus meets his eyes, sharing some of his bemusement. They shake hands and Luke counts the money before adding it to his wallet. It’s discreet and Magnus would have missed it if he didn’t know Luke so well but he doesn’t blame the man. Not everyone is as trustworthy as Ragnor. 

Magnus turns to Alec next, with a candid smile as he hands out the young man’s hard earned money. Alec frowns, glancing at the stack of banknotes warily and the stripper pushes it in his hands.

“You deserve it and I said I would tip you,” Magnus says, leaning his hip against the counter. “do you need a ride home?”  
“If you don’t mind.”

Alec won’t meet his eyes but Magnus lets it drop, leading the way to the car park and chuckling when the younger man checks the amber Jaguar out again, as though he hasn’t seen it before. Magnus quite likes his car, so he can relate as Alec stares at the car with awe-filled blue eyes. 

The drive to Manhattan is silent and Magnus doesn’t dare mentioning the kiss because he’s not sure where they stand. He doesn’t usually kiss people when he gives a lap dance and Magnus doesn’t have an answer to give him if Alec asks why he did it this time. He wanted to, but surely that can’t be a good enough reason…

Magnus pulls up in front of Alec’s sister building and realize he never mentioned Ragnor’s offer. He reaches for the younger man’s arm, holding him back gently before he gets out. 

“Would you like to come to practice tomorrow? Ragnor is thinking of giving you a job, if you’re interested. Since I know for a fact that you quit your summer job this morning...” Magnus grins to hide his unease when Alec doesn’t immediately reply.  
“Okay.” He eventually agrees. 

And this time it’s quite nice to watch him leave, knowing they’ll see each other again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec goes back to The Downworld the next day...

Alec rolls out of bed the following morning and drags himself into the kitchen. Isabelle is almost ready to head out, shoving her scrubs in her bag. She pulled her hair up in a tight bun that makes her look like their mother and Alec frowns as he pours milk into his bowl of cereals. He hasn’t seen his parents in a while.

“You came home late last night.” Isabelle comments offhandedly.  
“I didn’t mean to wake you up.” 

Isabelle shakes her head and ruffles his hair, grabbing her keys from the side table near the front door. He bides her a good day and works out how to get to The Downworld, wondering how long it will take to get his car fixed. Alec doesn’t really have money to spare but he’s not going to get a job without a car either. 

He can’t expect of Magnus to drive him around every day, the older man has been kind enough already and now… Alec feels his cheeks burning and slumps down, hitting his head on the table a few times. Magnus kissed him. During a lap dance. Alec can’t get his hopes up because this obviously didn’t mean anything and he can’t even ask Magnus is there is any chance it means something because the stripper will only laugh at him. 

He tries his best to prepare himself mentally on the way to The Downworld and locks away any thought about that kiss or that dance and even the body shots. Alec needs to be clear-headed when he walks back in and faces the group of strippers he might become part of. Pandemonium, what a lovely name. His parents would definitely disapprove. 

The strip club looks different during the day and the mirror on the far wall brings more light into the room. Jace is lifting weights by the bar, grinning madly when he recognizes Alec. He looks almost average in sweatpants and a tank top, his blond hair tied back in a small, puffy pony tail on top of his head. 

“Alec, are you joining the crew? That’s awesome man!” Jace exclaims.

Ragnor strolls in before Alec can reply and this time he’s wearing a shirt underneath his waist coat but it’s still tweed. The manager looks at Lorenzo intently, probably checking that the stripper is doing better than the night before. Alec has to admit Lorenzo is indeed good looking, stripping slowly and sensually in the middle of the room. 

Luke comments on his routine from his seat in the VIP area, lounging on a sofa. He’s wearing the same clothes as the day before so Alec assumes he’s going to practice as well but Raphael is wearing a suit that looks too expensive to get rid off on stage. Alec watches with interest as the short man goes through various props in the back room, wondering what Raphael is looking for. 

Ragnor notices Alec and waves him over, heading towards the mirror on the wall. Alec joins him, trying not to think of Magnus because the other man is not in the room so there is no need to worry about him just yet. Ragnor scowls and points a threatening finger at Alec. 

“Virgin dance the other night, no more,” Ragnor barks. “you only have a cherry pop one time. Now look, you walked out on-stage you looked like a bloody deer in the headlights, right? When I saw something is when Magnus pulled that kiss on you and you picked him up like nothing. We’ll show you how to move and dance to make the best of that. Now, let’s go to the basics, take your clothes off.”  
“Right now?” Alec chokes.  
“Right now. Take them off. Every bloody one of them, let’s go!” 

Alec shuffles his feet before taking his shoes off, stumbling as he tugs on his socks to get rid of them. He reaches for his hoodie next and grabs on the collar, dragging it over his head.

“Hang on, what are you doing? What are you, a bloody 12 years old in the locker room?” Ragnor interrupts, staring bemusedly.  
“No.” Alec replies, frowning.  
“Then what are you doing? You are the man. On the stage. Hundreds of men and women, eyes on you. You are their vision. So what do you do?” Ragnor gives a demo as he speaks, looking in the mirror. 

Even in his tweed suit, Alec finds out it has some appeal. Maybe it’s the way Ragnor moves his hips every time his hands brush the buttons of his waist coat, the way his body rolls smoothly when he undoes them. Alec, in his sweatpants hanging low on his hips, doesn’t feel as attractive as the fully clothed man dancing sinfully next to him. 

“You don’t just throw your clothes off. You make it count. You walk out. You own it. You look around, you seduce. Clock eyes, but don’t lock in on any of them. You got to believe you are inside every single one of them. And when the time’s right then you’ll know it.” Ragnor gives a vicious hip roll. 

Alec looks away, glancing anywhere but at him. Jace is laughing like crazy, holding onto the counter for support and Raphael leans against the wall, watching intently. Lorenzo has taken a seat on the sofa next to Luke and both of them are looking at Alec too. Ragnor snaps his fingers to get his attention back on him, repeating the move a few times. 

“This right there is like hitting that sweet spot, every single time. Now get up there, move around.”

Ragnor straightens and crosses his arms. Alec comes closer reluctantly and bends his knees a little, trying to imitate the older man. He rolls his hips once and it feels unnatural but Ragnor doesn’t mention it if it looks awkward. Alec tries to focus on the arrow piercing his throat rather than the rest of his body to contain the fire that threatens to spread on his cheeks. 

“You see, you’re not just stripping,” Ragnor speaks again. “you’re fulfilling every man and woman’s wildest fantasies all right? You are the husband they never had. You are the dreamboat guy that never came along. You are the one-night stand, that free fling of a fuck they get to have, tonight, with you on-stage and still go home and not get in trouble because you, make it _legal_. You are the liberation, own it.” 

Alec remembers last night, the exaltation he felt in knowing people where watching him… but it wasn’t just him. He fumbles as he thinks of Magnus, the weight of the other man in his lap and Ragnor loses patience. 

“Magnus! Show him!” 

To Alec’s horror, Magnus pokes his head out of the locker room and skips over to join them. The sleeveless hoodie he’s wearing hangs open, revealing just how low on his hips his sweatpants fall. His eyes are dark when they meet Alec’s, kohl and glittery eye shadow adding mystery to Magnus’ warm gaze. He takes one look at Alec and smirks, coming in front of the mirror with him. He settles behind Alec who tenses as he feels the older man’s pressing against him to guide his movements. 

“Get right here. Move slow, around.” Magnus breathes in his ear.

He gives Alec a feel of what he’s supposed to do but Alec remembers those sinful hips perfectly and struggles to follow him as Magnus’ warm hand slides against his side, holding onto his chest. Black nail polish stands out against Alec’s fair skin, a reminder of the stain of ink inside his arm too, _ave atque vale_ tattooed between his wrist and elbow. 

“Concentrate darling, round, round round. Make this count. Get the movements, breathe. All right, easy. On three you’re going to roll your hips forward.” Magnus croons against the shell of his ear.

Alec swallows thickly and drowns in the burning presence of Magnus pressed against him, finally gives in to move his hips in time with the other man’s. He feels the rush of adrenaline again, the way his body aligns with Magnus’ to grind slowly, dirty, just right. 

“One, two, three, roll. That’s the hook darling. That’s what Ragnor is talking about.”  
“You can do it.” Ragnor says and it sounds like an order.  
“I know you can.” Magnus whispers against his skin. “Now take a breath...”  
“Fuck that mirror like you mean it!” Ragnor calls out. 

Magnus steps away and Alec misses the feel of his body against him already.

  


* * *

  


Magnus looks at Alec from afar, takes in the glorious sight of the younger man as he finally gets the hang of it. Ragnor gives him more pointers and Alec gains more confidence, finds the right head space to enjoy the weight of million eyes on him. 

Luke has taken the stage in the middle of the room, peeling his clothes off slowly and Lorenzo is doing stretches on the floor, probably working last night aches out of his body. Jace as stepped away from the bar to do push ups but Raphael leans against the wall, studying Alec. Magnus joins him, bumping their shoulders together but the shorter man scowls and doesn’t look at him. 

“Didn’t think he had it in him.” Raphael grunts.  
“You just don’t want to admit I was right,” Magnus replies. “I found the harness you were looking for.”  
“Did you now?” Raphael asks, arches his eyebrows.  
“How is the family?”  
“Better off when you don’t ask after them.” 

Magnus barks out a laugh and pats Raphael’s arm only to be swatted away. He tells him the harness is in his locker anyway and lets the shorter man get on with his routine. 

Raphael strips to bring money home, he baby-sits his siblings during the day and Magnus has met Guadaloupe Santiago a few times, pretending to know Raphael from working as a waiter in a restaurant rather than The Downworld. She’s a brave woman but overwhelmed with her children and Raphael has taken upon himself the responsibility to feed all of them. Magnus believes they’re doing well indeed, else Raphael would have shut him down and closed off in the process. 

He sighs and checks their stocks, jolting down what Ragnor needs to order in and soon enough he has a list for Alec too because the student will need props if he joins Pandemonium. 

Of course, Magnus offers to drive him to the shop once Ragnor lets go of the younger man, nodding approvingly at his new found sensuality. Alec towels dry his damp hair, glancing at Magnus and frowning as though he doesn’t understand what he’s talking about. 

“Ragnor gave me the go-ahead on getting you suited up.” Magnus explains.  
“Yeah...”  
“Why do you look scared? You already lost your virginity. All you got to do now is get good at it. We got to get you an American flag, Star-spangled banner for 4th of July summertime...”

Magnus trails off and tilts his head as he catches sight of the script spreading between Alec’s left elbow and wrist. Three words are tattooed on his fair skin, latin from the looks of it and he tries to read it but Alec jerks his arm out of sight and hurries to get dressed again.

“All right, are you ready?” Magnus says to diffuse the tension between them.

He wonders if he’s making Alec uncomfortable. The younger man has, after all, only expressed embarrassment or disinterest in his presence, from the moment they met until now. Magnus pales when he realizes this is very much harassment as he kissed Alec and groped him, never asking if it was alright, not even checking once that Alec wanted him to do any of that. Alec may not have stopped him but that doesn’t mean he’s happy with any of it. 

“Look, you can go with Jace if you feel more comfortable.” Magnus hurries to say.  
“What?”  
“I just don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do. I apologize if you felt like I was pressuring you, it never was my intention.”  
“What are you talking about? I have a job thanks to you. Yeah that’s out of my comfort zone but I don’t think it’s such a bad thing. Where is the shop you were talking about? I can go by myself if you have better things to do, just tell me what I need to buy.” Alec interrupts.  
“No that’s fine I can take you there. If you want to, that is.” 

Magnus cannot meet Alec’s eyes, not when he remembers the way their body felt, moving together in front of the mirror. Suddenly he regrets holding onto Alec the way he did, because he had no right to. 

“Yeah, I just feel bad because you’re driving me around.” Alec surprises him again.  
“I don’t mind. At all.” Magnus says, too low for him to hear.  
  
  
  
Magnus holds the door open for Alec when they walk into the shop and ducks his head to hide his smile at the younger man’s stumble when he catches sight of rows and rows of underwear and props. Alec doesn’t wander off alone between the aisles and Magnus is careful not to brush against him as he takes the lead, grabbing what they need. 

“This has no back.” Alec points out.  
“Yeah, that’s the point, it’s a thong.” Magnus throws over his shoulder, hiding a laugh.

Alec grows more confident after that and strays away from him for a while, poking things. Magnus watches him from the corner of his eyes and giggles when the young man squeaks the elephant socks, looking at them bemusedly. 

“Really?” Alec sighs.  
“Stay away from the elephant socks, that’s Lorenzo’s stuff. You don’t want to look like him do you? If you need bad taste at least get your inspiration from Ragnor.” Magnus chuckles.  
“What’s Ragnor’s deal? Is he a good guy?”  
“Ragnor is… Ragnor is Ragnor.” Magnus shrugs.  
“I mean, it’s pretty cool he let me in.” Alec says, walking up to him.

They have everything, it seems so Magnus stops and turns to him, sticking his hip out as he crosses his arms. Alec’s hands have disappeared in the pockets of his sweatpants and he’s almost folding on himself, his shoulders slumping as he stares back.

“Ragnor opened his own strip club when he realized he couldn’t be a stripper forever. He didn’t hire me or the others out of kindness but because we’re good at what we do and we work hard. He let you in, but he’ll kick you out just as fast if he’s not happy with you. He has other things to worry about, like the new club in Miami.” Magnus tells him honestly.  
“Miami?” Alec repeats, having seemingly nothing to say about Ragnor’ philosophy.  
“The Downworld is expending.” 

Magnus beams, excited with the news because it’s all coming together, finally. Alec nods and glances at the thongs and props he’s holding. Magnus startles and hands them to the younger man, letting him go up to the counter and pay. Alec doesn’t meet the cashier’s eyes and hurries out of the store, eager to get back in the car. 

The Jaguar shines in the sun, amber bodywork flaring like fire and Magnus sighs as they get stuck in traffic a moment later. Alec fiddles with the hem of his hoodie on the passenger seat when Magnus glances at him. 

“Here, for gas and helping me out when you didn’t have to.” Alec says out of the blue.

Magnus frowns at the sight of crumpled banknotes and waves it away, resting his hands on the steering wheel when Alec still hands them out. A singer croons on the radio, the slow, tranquil bass line like a heartbeat echoing in the car. 

“Keep your money, it’s fine.”  
“You drive me around.” Alec argues.  
“I can pay for my own gas, it’s fine. Thank you, though. It’s really sweet, I appreciate it.” 

Alec rolls his eyes and Magnus watches him with a fond smile as he shoves the money back in his wallet. It happens against his better judgment really and Magnus reaches to pat the younger man’s thigh, squeezing gently once before changing gears and driving past a green light. He berates himself for it all the way to their destination and Alec doesn’t say anything until they pull up in front of his sister’s building. He doesn’t move to get out of the car either and Magnus glances at him from the corner of his eyes. 

“Would you like to come up for coffee or something? Let me do this at least, since you can pay for your own gas.” Alec offers, staring at his hands on his knees.

Magnus mutters to thank him and goes to park the car. They get out and he follows the younger man in the building, coming face to face with Alec’s sister as soon as they walk into the apartment. She is almost as tall as Alec, with long black hair and tasteful makeup. Alec takes one look at the scrubs she’s wearing and steps away instead of hugging her like he was about to but his smile grows infinitely softer when he talks to her. 

“Hey. Izzy this is Magnus. Magnus, meet my sister Isabelle.”  
“Isabelle, absolute pleasure, hi. Are you a nurse?” Magnus greets her.  
“I’m a medical assistant, I process nurses’ paperwork.” She replies.  
“Way cooler, you’re their life saver you know? My best friend Cat is a nurse and she blesses you guys’ names every day.”

Isabelle looks taken aback and smiles as Magnus gushes about Catarina. He doesn’t see her nearly as often as he would like and promises himself to find some time to at least grab coffee with Cat soon. Alec leaves them to it and puts his shopping bags away without meeting Isabelle’s eyes when she asks about it. 

“So how do you know my brother?” She turns to Magnus instead.  
“Work. I’m an entrepreneur too, I manage a few businesses. So, Alec said something about lunch?” Magnus says carefully, not sure if he’s supposed to mention the strip club.  
“Are you sure? Because he never eats what I cook for him.” Izzy pouts.  
“Don’t let her near the kitchen! And I said coffee!” Alec calls from the kitchen.

He is already getting started on said coffee and Magnus chuckles. Isabelle arches an eyebrow and he stops abruptly because there is no way she didn’t catch on his attraction for Alec, not with the way she looks at him. Magnus is so gone for the younger man already, but she’s smiling still. He doesn’t let himself believe that maybe, just maybe, he has a chance with Alec. If he did, Alec would have reciprocated Magnus’ interest in some way. 

They sit at the kitchen table and Magnus cannot shake the feeling that Isabelle is up to something as she keeps glancing between Alec and him, smirking. He wonders if she doesn’t buy the story of meeting at work, even though it’s exactly what happened. Whatever she’s thinking, she doesn’t mention it and he thanks them both for the coffee when he leaves, shoulders sagging as soon as he gets in his car.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec found his summer job...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm literally writing the chapters, editing them and posting straight away. Hence the irregular update schedule. I don't even know how many chapters this is going to be. That's fun :D I'd love to know what you think, feel free to come yell at me in the comments or simply quote something you liked! Enjoy ♥

Alec hears the front door opening when he’s stuck in his boxer briefs with shaving cream on his legs and struggling to keep his balance against the sink. Isabelle treks across the living room like she always does after her shift and he listens to her muttering about paperwork, still holding the razor. 

He’s glad that it didn’t press it to his skin when she swears loudly and runs over, knocking on the bathroom door. Alec jumps, wrist jerking to the side. That would have been a nasty cut and he frowns at the state of his leg. Shaving, as it turns out, is much more of a hassle when it involves something else than his face.

“Alec, get out there. I need to talk to you.” Isabelle calls from outside.  
“What do you want?” He asks, voice raising to a high pitch.

His heart stutters in his chest and he lowers his leg carefully to rest his foot on the cold white tiles on the floor, looking helplessly at the razor in his hand. He hears Isabelle leaning against the door and frowns as his sister sighs deeply. She sounds tired and he worries about her and the baby. Max, the nephew he’s not sure he can be a good uncle and role model for. 

“I want to talk to you. Get out.” Isabelle repeats.   
“I’ll be out in a minute, okay! One sec!” He amends when she knocks impatiently on the door again. “What do you want to talk about?”  
“About this bag of thongs and body lotions in the living room.” She giggles helplessly.

Alec pales and rushes to the door, opening it wide to stare at her in disbelief. The bag is on the floor behind her and he realizes he never put it away when he grabbed what he needed before locking himself in the bathroom. Isabelle bites her lip, holding onto her scrubs but her eyes are shining with mirth and mischief, dark strand of hair falling on her face.

“It’s for work.” Alec stammers.  
“For work? Alec don’t lie to me. I’m your sister, I love you. You know I don’t judge you, I thought we had been over this already. It doesn’t make you less of a man to take care of your appearance. It’s okay to enjoy it.” Isabelle sobers up, reaching to pat his shoulder.  
“What? It’s not what it looks like.” 

She frowns and looks him over, only now noticing the shaving cream spread on his legs and the messy line of smooth skin where he tried to get a good handle of the razor. Isabelle gaps and glances between his hand and leg a few times.

“Are you shaving your legs?”   
“Yes, I’m shaving my legs. For work.” Alec replies patiently.  
“What do you mean it’s for work? How could it possibly for work? Also, you should really use my razor rather than yours, it would make things easier for you.”

Alec stares at her and she giggles once, then twice, finally breaking into full blown laughter. Isabelle throws her scrubs in the dirty basket and pushes him back inside the bathroom, grabbing her razor and gesturing for him to hold out his leg. He complies as she sits on the toilet and eventually laughs because his sister has done many things for him, especially growing up with their absent parents but this is definitely one of the lines he never expected to cross. 

“Is it to impress Magnus?” She asks casually, but not really as her hold on his leg tightens before he can jerk away and get a nasty gash on his shin.   
“Why would I want to impress Magnus?”   
“You never invite anyone here.”   
“He drives me around a lot and refuses gas money, inviting him for coffee was the least I could do!” Alec defends himself, frowning.   
“Wait, you said you two met at work. Is that it? Your new job?” Isabelle looks up and studies him intently.  
“Promise you won’t laugh?” 

She does and laughs anyway but Alec would rather make a fool of himself than upset his sister. She takes the news of him working at a strip club relatively well, all things considered and Alec wonders why he didn’t tell her outright. She would probably have offered to help him shave anyway. Isabelle pats his knee when she’s done with the other leg and hands him a small mirror to shave his armpits too. 

“Be careful down there,” She points at his crotch and he blushes fiercely. “maybe you should go to a professional for your chest, just to get it perfect to start with.”   
“I really wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have to. I don’t get why women bother with it.” Alec tells her, but he takes the number of her beautician to make a last minute appointment.  
“I like it, it’s a nice feeling to have smooth skin. Clary can’t be bothered though and Simon doesn’t have much body hair so he shaves so that it looks even. It really depends on the person.” 

Isabelle shrugs and Alec nods, thinking of Simon’s childhood best friend. He likes Clary, she drew the arrow for his tattoo and helped him choose some of his classes when he enrolled at uni. She’s well versed in art and history so her advice was more useful than Izzy’s.  
  
  
  
Alec doesn’t like her all that much when she shows up to The Downworld with Simon and Isabelle in tow some nights later. Clary swears it was Isabelle’s idea and Alec believes her, but he blames the red head for not even trying to change his sister’s mind. He definitely does not want to know Isabelle, pregnant Isabelle, is in the room with her fiancé and Clary when he’s working. 

The room bathes in red and purple lights, he can barely distinguish the face of the patrons that call him over for body shots but Alec could recognize his sister anywhere. He hurries towards their table between two lap dances, mortified when he notices Magnus sat between Clary and Isabelle, laughing at something they said to him. 

“This is awesome man!” Simon exclaims as Alec nears them.   
“Not, it’s really not.” He deadpans.  
“You’re really handsome Alec, you fit in just right.” Simon adds anyway.  
“I want body shots.” Isabelle cuts in before Alec can reply.  
“I am not giving body shots to my sister.”   
“No, that would be weird,” Clary agrees with him, very obviously stepping on Simon’s foot to keep him quiet. “should we get them from you Magnus?” 

The older stripper shrugs, winking and Alec decides that he doesn’t want to see this either. He is about to turn around and find actual patrons to do his job when Isabelle makes up her mind, pointing at someone behind him. Alec glances over his shoulder and catches sight of Raphael. The stripper’s white pants hang low on his hips and he tilts his head to the side when he notices Alec and Isabelle staring at him. 

“I want him! What do you think babe, should be get body shots with him?”  
“That’s Raphael,” Magnus provides helpfully. “what about you biscuit?”

Clary looks at Magnus, gnawing her lower lip and shakes her head. Alec does his best to ignore the relief that flows through him and ignores Magnus to search for Jace instead. He’s totally Clary’s type, the kind of model she likes drawing actually and Alec waves him over with a smirk because he knows just how embarrassing it is to get body shots from someone you’re attracted to. Sweet revenge indeed, if Clary’s fierce blush is anything to go by. 

Alec doesn’t wait to see Isabelle and Simon getting body shots from Raphael. He knows his sister and her fiancé are very open minded and have no intention to get married until Max is here and Isabelle can fit in her dream dress. It doesn’t mean Alec has to watch them having fun in a strip club. Magnus saunters next to him as he leaves Clary with Jace and throws an arm around Alec’s shoulder, naked chest glistening in the moving lights of The Downworld. 

“Your sister really came just to see you?” Magnus asks.  
“Yeah. She thought it was a joke at first but she’s very supportive. Or maybe she just likes a good laugh.” Alec shrugs.

Some patrons are staring at them and Alec scratches the smooth skin under his belly button. He doesn’t feel self-conscious per se, even though he misses his body hair. There is that constant rush of adrenaline as people watch him and it multiplies with Magnus by his side. Jace and Raphael too, sometimes. He likes to feel the weight of envious, longing gazes when he usually doesn’t attract much attention. 

Alec is getting better at playing his part rather than staring at Magnus’ too tight pants and he even allows himself to slide his arm around the older man’s waist when he notices a couple watching them closely. They look young and if Alec didn’t know about Ragnor’s strict policy he would wonder if they’re old enough to be in a strip club. 

“I think we have our hot seats for tonight,” He tells Magnus, leaning in to be heard. “the boys over there.” 

The older man tilts his head to glance at them and brings Alec closer to him. Their sides brush and it’s like fire licking at his skin. Alec wonders what leather would feel like against him and curses his too tight jeans as he doesn’t find out even as Magnus turns around with a grin.

“I can’t wait to go on stage with you again darling.” 

He winks, eyeliner flicking on his golden skin and Alec tears his eyes away from high cheekbones dusted with glitter and follows Magnus’ lead as they secure their next performance for the couple, Mark and Kieran. Clary looks flustered and from Jace’s smirk, he roped her into a hot seat as well. Alec is a bit surprised that neither Isabelle or Simon are called on stage by Raphael but doesn’t dwell on it as he holds a hand out for Mark, joining Magnus in the middle of the room. 

The crowd roars in approval at the sight of the couple getting simultaneous lap dances and Alec forgets about the specific of who, exactly is watching him as he smirks to the blond boy. Magnus moves lavishly next to them, smiling too and he brushes black and blue strands of hair out of Kieran’s eyes as he straddles him. 

Alec thought receiving a lap dance from the older man was the sexiest thing to ever happen to him but now, as he moves on a stranger’s lap and watches Magnus from the corner of his eye, he wonders if this isn’t even better. There is something mesmerizing in the way their hips synchronize to the beat of a heavy bass, never touching and the slow, sensual voice that guides them when they move away from the recipient of their respective dances to circle the other chair. 

He hears the distinct grunt of arousal from Kieran as Magnus lets his fingers trail along Alec’s side when they swap again and shivers because patrons might not be allowed to touch but that doesn’t apply to strippers. And Alec would very much like to touch when Magnus winks at him, spreading whipped cream on his chest. The blue haired boy leans it to lick it off the older stripper’s skin and Alec hurries to do the same for the blonde boy beneath him.

The crowd cheers once his skin is licked clean of whipped cream and Alec helps Mark to his feet, chuckling when he falls in Kieran’s arms and they stumble off stage. Magnus slides an arm around Alec’s waist to bow, the boys are nowhere to be seen when Alec straightens and he is pretty sure they sneaked off to make out. He can tell from Magnus’ smirk that he thinks so too. 

Isabelle whoops loudly when they get off stage and Jace drags Clary in the middle of the room next. She hides her face in her hands the whole time and Alec chuckles, settling down next to a group of over excited middle aged women to cheer Jace along. They look flustered by the close proximity of a stripper and Alec smiles, making small talk with them the way he has seen Jace and Magnus do. 

He ends the night like this and walks up to hug Izzy and Clary before they head out, swatting away his sister’s attempt at tipping him. She isn’t drunk of course, they replaced the shots with something sweet and non-alcoholic. Simon has sworn off alcohol for the rest of her pregnancy since the cocktail incident at the restaurant and Alec thinks it’s very supportive of him as they leave the club, Clary in tow. 

“I’m already sleeping on your couch, don’t give me pocket money too!” Alec calls after them.  
“Well, now that you have a job you could rent the flat from me and I move in with Simon!” Isabelle giggles and waves one last time, disappearing into a cab.

  


* * *

  


Magnus walks in the bank with a swagger in his steps and flicks a pink streak of hair out of his eyes when the bank teller lets him in her office. He smiles candidly as he takes a seat and sets his briefcase on the desk, pointing at a heavy necklace resting on her chest.

“That’s beautiful artwork, is it vintage?”   
“No it’s...” The middle-aged woman looks away, blushing. “a gift. My sister got it for me, from Target I think. Name and social?”   
“Magnus Bane...” He rattles off the according numbers.

The office is ordinary, gray carpet and a plant in the corner that the woman probably forgets to water and the cleaning crew doesn’t bother to even look at when they pick up dead leaves from the floor. 

“I brought the funds for my down payment.” Magnus says to the bank teller.  
“We seem to have a credit issue, Mr. Bane.” She replies apologetically, barely meeting his eyes.  
“Right. I talked to Mr Aldertree last week. As I was explaining to him the business I manage deal exclusively in cash. He said you would forego the credit check if I brought a healthy down paument. It should be noted in there, he said he was going to put it in.”

Magnus points at her computer screen. He knows he’s pleading already, but he’s tired from the tour he did before coming to the bank and his eyeliner was shaky at best this morning anyway. It’s way too hot to be wearing a suit, no matter how fashionable and he really wants to go home to rest before stripping tonight. 

“You are currently the manager of a jewelry making business?” The woman asks him, reading from her screen.   
“Absolutely, a tour guide service and an even-management company too. Honestly the list goes on.”  
“You’re a busy guy.” She comments, offering him a weak smile.  
“Yeah, lucky to be.” Magnus allows, beaming at her in hope of getting on her good side. “So what kind of rates am I looking at?”  
“There are ways to clean these credits issues over time but...” She trails off when he gasps.  
“Oh dear, I haven’t told you what I’m here for! I really apologize, this is what I do.” 

Magnus gets his portfolio from his brief case and flicks through a few pages to show her necklaces and other jewelry like the one she’s wearing. She leans in to have a look but doesn’t make a move to touch the portfolio.

“Unfortunately Mr. Bane, my hands are tied. The company has a policy, we cannot issue loans to clients who score below our credit threshold.”  
“I can absolutely understand where you’re coming from. You think you know something about me from the numbers on your screen. I get it, that’s okay, you probably have clients lining up on your doorstep with sob stories. All I’m asking for is a good deal. Please, can you do that for me?” 

She laces her fingers together in front of her and shakes her head apologetically. Magnus straightens his back, jaw flexing and snaps the portfolio shut. He’s pretty sure Aldertree never wrote anything on that computer and the woman in front of him probably can’t help anyway. He doesn’t bother with the sob story, Magnus has never been one for complaining and leaves without looking back, hoping nobody notices his smudged eyeliner as he strides through the streets.  
  
  
  
He’s glad he scheduled to have coffee with Catarina right after his appointment and slumps down on a chair in front of his friend. She pushes a cup of black coffee towards him and nudges his shin with her foot, barely out of her scrubs. Her hair is growing back already but she bleached it white and he really likes the almost bald look she has had going for a few months. 

“You are the best of friends.” Magnus sighs, hugging the cup to his chest.   
“That bad, huh?”  
“You have no idea.”

Catarina blinks, blue mascara flashing and he smiles to himself because she looks good, rested. It doesn’t happen often and Magnus considers inviting her to The Downworld tonight so that she gets some time to relax and simply have fun. She would get to see Alec too and that thought makes him groan, because his misery is far from over today. 

“Where do I start?”  
“Tell me about the appointment first and then we’ll go back to the beginning of whatever is going on.” Cat says, leaning back on her chair.   
“I didn’t get the loan I wanted because of my father’s debts.” 

Magnus shrugs, this is nothing new. Asmodeus built a company with Lilith and dropped everything when Magnus was a teenager. Lilith succeeded with _One Hell of a Tour_ and still does, hence her helping him out by giving him a job. But Asmodeus tried everything to cure Magnus’ mother’s cancer and he joined her in the afterlife soon after her passing. Magnus has been attempting to clean these credits issues since then. 

It’s just another sob story, nothing to bother repeating and he appreciates that Catarina doesn’t comment on it, simply reaching to hold his hands, like she did when they were just high school drop outs. She made it to college and became a nurse, Magnus started stripping to make money. 

“Accounting date night it is then, when are you free?” Cat asks, smiling.   
“Just tell me when you’re not working and I’ll ask Ragnor for a day off.” Magnus chuckles. 

She seems happy enough with that and they organize for one of those sleepless night trying to pay off Asmodeus’ debts and allow Magnus to start his own business. The club in Miami is just one more of these attempts and Magnus has hope this might be the one. He has already signed part ownership of the club and can never thank Ragnor enough for trusting him with this. 

The café is quiet, barely any patron around them and Magnus sips his coffee, slowly easing back into easy banter as he chats with Catarina about Alec. It’s been a month since the younger man joined Pandemonium and Magnus doesn’t regret letting him in when they met in front of that nightclub on the day they met. 

“He’s a natural Cat. He forgets his insecurities on stage and just… let’s go. It’s quite the sight.”   
“Is he?” She teases him.   
“Well, I like what I see.” Magnus winks.  
“I might drop by tonight and judge for myself.” 

Magnus nods eagerly and Catarina laughs, telling him about her shift at the hospital. He listens intently but cannot keep his mind from drifting to the younger man. Magnus dialed down the lingering touches a bit but the more he keeps to himself the more Alec seems comfortable in touching him and while Magnus is not complaining, he cannot help but wonder. Maybe there is something there? But Alec never reaches for him outside the club and Magnus knows just how much he changes, gains confidence when on stage. They all do, so what if Alec isn’t interested once the lights turn on again? 

What is Magnus, when the fantasy burns away at the crack of dawn and dull reality kicks in again? Alec surely did not make a move on Magnus when they first met in broad daylight.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec misses his body hair and Magnus gets ready to open a strip club in Miami.  
> A sandbar party is just what they need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I don't even have an excuse for the delay. I'm working from the script of Magic Mike so I already have a draft of this story. I just... didn't find the time until now? It sounds bad when I say it like this but it wasn't me lacking inspiration or anything, quite the contrary! 
> 
> Next chapter should be the last except if Magnus and Alec go all angsty on me again, it wouldn't be the first time.  
> Anyway, enjoy ♥

Alec wakes up to the doorbell of Isabelle’s flat ringing loudly and he falls off the couch. His sister skips to the door with a giggle as he rolls over and makes no move to get up. Isabelle avoids some of the boxes they still have to move to Simon’s and opens the door. 

“Magnus!” She calls and he hears them exchanging loud kisses on the cheeks.  
“Hi dear, is Alec here?”  
“Yup, good luck getting him to do anything though,” Isabelle says breezily. 

Alec groans, craning his neck from his position on the floor to watch Magnus walk into the living room. The other man is wearing black shorts with a pattern of white stripes and tiger portraits surrounded by green leaves, a nondescript tank top hanging loosely off his shoulders.

“Wakey wakey sleeping beauty. Sandbar party, let’s go!” Magnus sing-songs, nudging Alec with his flip-flop.

The trim is covered in rhinestone of course and Magnus’ toes are painted in bright purple, undoubtedly matching his fingernails. Alec knows his own legs are expertly shaved by Isabelle’s beautician but Magnus’ calves always look smoother than his. 

“What do you mean?” Alec groans instead of letting his thoughts wander.  
“To paradise and back! Maybe,” Magnus replies proudly. 

Alec sits up and yawns in the crook of his elbow, feeling the weight of Magnus’ golden eyes on his messy bed hair. The older man looks almost laid back for once, bleached strands of hair curling onto his forehead and only a hint of kohl around his eyes. Alec likes it, if only because he can picture the slow transition to the full face make up Magnus usually sports and it seems quite magical. 

“Come on!” 

Alec sighs and gets up, disappearing into the bathroom to freshen on and slips on some swim trunks. The room is almost empty, missing his sister’s many products for her hair and skin and makeup but Alec can’t say he misses the mess. It’s just weird to know that soon, he’ll be living alone. 

Isabelle tuts when she sees him, because he chose the old, black and worn out pair he owns rather than the pretty baby pink pair she bought him. Magnus chuckles from his seat at the kitchen table, stretching his legs to rest his feet on a box as he sips some coffee. 

It’s not unusual to have Magnus over, Alec thinks as he slumps down next to him and he ignores Isabelle’s knowing smirk to gently pat her slowly rounding belly instead. Pregnancy suits her well but he has a feeling she’s hard on herself because it’s not her usual figure. 

Simon seems more enamored than ever though and Clary takes her shopping a lot to find clothes she feels comfortable in and are up to Izzy’s high expectations. There were way too many clothes to pack and bring over to Simon’s these last few days. 

“You ready?” Magnus asks, setting his cup down. 

Alec nods and they’re off. He slides into the amber Jaguar with an appreciative grin, always happy to see the sports car. It fits Magnus’ personality, in a way and there is some sort of a thrill everytime Magnus speeds up. 

Magnus tosses his flip-flops in Alec’s lap to drive barefoot and Alec jerks, trying to catch the shiny shoes instinctively. He misses one and writhes on his seat to get the flip-flop back. It makes Magnus laugh and the sound warms Alec’s heart.

Upbeat music fills the silence once they settle down and stop laughing about Alec’s clumsiness. They drive to Long Island and Alec surprises himself by humming along to the songs playing in the car but Magnus only turns the volume up and joins in. 

“Where are we going again?” Alec asks, rubbing at one of the fake diamonds on Magnus’ flip-flops.  
“On Jace’s boat.”  
“I thought Jace stripped to help his grandmother?” Alec frowns.  
“Yeah, he inherited the boat after his parents’ death and didn’t want to sell it,” Magnus shrugs. 

They park a little further away from the beach and Alec can already hear the distant whispering of waves coming up the shore for a kiss. It’s wet, the rumbling of the ocean like a groan and a whimper as it breaks away from the sand. 

They walk the rest of the way, joining Pandemonium on the boat. It’s white and shiny, because Jace likes his things clean and neatly organized. The strippers are buzzing all around, bringing things closer or going off to pick up something they’ve forgotten. 

Alec hopes he won’t have to walk back to Magnus’ car, he has sand between his toes already and the sun catches onto his dark hair, threatening to make him dizzy if he stands there for too long. 

Lorenzo is already lying in the sun and Jace sits on the edge of the boat, blond hair flying with the warm breeze. His tattoo is covered in a healthy amount of sunscreen and he waves at Alec, calling him on board. 

“How do we get onto the boat?” Alec asks to no one in particular.  
“Raphael, mi amigo, help us?” Magnus calls. 

Raphael flat out refuses to help them onto the boat, scowling and Alec gets stuck in stocking up duty. He picks up booze and some food with Luke and Ragnor, passing it on to Raphael and Magnus, who managed to get on board somehow. 

Alec’s back and arms are aching by the time they’re ready and he grabs the cool beer Magnus offers him. Sweat drips down his spine and pools in the small of his back, wet and uncomfortable. He’s pretty sure it shows through his shirt, a patch of darker, probably smelly fabric. Alec is careful not to turn around so that nobody notices. 

Ragnor pushes Lorenzo into the water because he didn’t help them bring everything on board and Luke laughs, helping the long-haired stripper to his feet as he chokes on salty water. 

“What did I tell you? Paradise,” Magnus tells Alec, elbowing him gently.  
“Yeah, paradise, we’re not even out on the water yet,” Alec deadpans. 

Magnus throws his head back, Adam apple bobbing as he laughs and Alec’s eyes trail down his chest. They got rid of their shirts between the third pack of beer and second cooler filled with food and he should be used to it by now. He’s not though, Magnus is gorgeous and Alec has not forgotten the sweet taste of his caramel skin. 

A blond woman stops at the sound of Magnus’ laughter and turns to them, beaming as she recognizes the stripper. She walks up to them and hugs Magnus when he jumps down to meet her, hands wandering down his back. 

“Good to see you, Camille,” Magnus says with a fond smile. “Where have you been?”  
“You too. Oh you know me, here and there, making new friends.” 

She waves her hand airily, dismissing the question and Alec frowns when she turns to him next. She’s only wearing a bright red bikini, with a white button up shirt tucked around her waist like a pareo. There is a stain of lipstick on the collar and it looks definitely too big for her lithe frame. 

“Alec, Camille. Camille, Alec,” Magnus beams, gesturing between them.  
“Hi, nice to meet you,” Camille smiles but Alec doesn’t return it.  
“Hey.”  
“Is that a tattoo? What does it say?” Camille points at the inside of Alec’s left arm as she asks.

She tries to touch him but he jerks away and swats her hand reflexively. The sun burns the back of his neck angrily and Alec can feel himself go light-headed with the heat. Sand is sticking to his feet and ankles now and he wants to either go for a swim or get on the boat, anything to get away from Camille and whatever her relationship with Magnus is. 

“It says I was 17 and stupid,” he brushes her off.  
“So, I know Camille from The Downworld. She came up… she studied psychology and… what’s the thing you came to do?” Magnus interrupts.  
“Behavior analysis,” she replies, sneering as the older stripper struggles to remember what she’s studying.  
“Right, she was analyzing our behavior apparently,” Magnus nods anyway, looking smitten.  
“That must have been really enlightening,” Alec nods along and he means it.  
“Yeah. Is that another tattoo?” Camille tilts her head, narrowing her eyes. 

She tries to touch Alec’s neck next but Magnus steps between them and grabs her arms to turn her around, pointing at the pack of beer open on the boat. He looks embarrassed and it’s the first time Alec has ever seen such an expression on his face. 

“Yes, he has tattoos. Do you want a drink?” Magnus says hurriedly. 

Alec jumps on board without a word and settles next to Jace, who nods. Lorenzo is back to lazing in the sun but Ragnor and Luke have joined him this time. Raphael shuffles around, picking up anything they misplaced to put it back where it belongs and mumbling to himself in Spanish.

They’re only waiting for Magnus before they go out on the water. Alec can feel sweat pooling at the nape of his neck and hopes he doesn’t smell as he turns to the blond stripper. 

“Nice boat,” Alec comments.  
“Well, I have to do something with leftover money once I’ve paid for my grandmother’s expanses. I might as well use it to enjoy having kept the boat,” Jace replies, smiling.  
“Thank you for letting us enjoy it too.”  
“Speaking of enjoying things… can I have Clary’s number?” Jace tries to play it cool but he doesn’t look at Alec.

Alec frowns. He’s not sure about the policy regarding strippers and clients relationships. Is that allowed? Just frowned upon? Jace put him on the spot, asking casually like that and it’s not like Alec can turn around and ask Ragnor what he thinks. 

Honestly, it’s probably a one off for Clary, she doesn’t exactly find enjoyment in clubs and even less strip clubs. It’s more Isabelle’s scene than Clary’s. Alec wouldn’t be surprised if Isabelle had dragged Simon to adult clubs more than once though and Alec will probably be stuck with babysitting when they start going again later. Anything for his sister. 

As for Clary and Jace… Well Alec is not blind, he knows Jace is the red head’s type and the only reason they didn’t exchange numbers was probably that very stripper and client relationship he has in mind right now. Alec sighs and decides to let it go. It’s not his problem and Clary would never let it go if he didn’t give her number to the blond anyway. 

“Yeah. Sure.” 

Jace claps him on the shoulder, thanking him profusely and stands up, calling for Magnus to hurry up. Alec glances down, watching as the older man speaks to Camille. Magnus doesn’t look so happy to be talking to her anymore and something in Alec settles. It’s selfish, but he doesn’t want someone like this woman around the stripper. She looks like the kind of make promises she won’t keep. 

If there is one thing Alec knows how to do, it’s keeping his promises. He lost his scholarship, he’s sleeping on his sister’s couch and stripping for lack of anything else to do, but he’d do anything for the people he cares about. Somehow, Magnus is part of them now. What a shame he's moving to Miami soon for the new strib club.

  


* * *

  


Magnus frowns a little as Alec takes the opportunity to get away from Camille but he can’t blame the younger man. Camille declines his offer for a drink and glances at Alec again, pouting. She looks edible in her bikini and discreet, waterproof lipstick and mascara. Magnus would probably go skinny dipping with her in any other circumstances, it’s the kind of things they do. 

“He’s cute. I don’t normally like the dark hair blue eyes combination like you do but he’s really cute.”  
“He’s not really our type,” Magnus cuts off and suddenly, he’s annoyed.

Camille never picked up his calls since he left her in the loft with the red-haired woman he still doesn’t know the name of. He found the loft as he left it, nothing missing, but no note from Camille either. She did not call, she never does so why is she so interested in Alec? 

He knows Alec is not her type anyway because she only suggests older, bulky men when they meet up for a threesome. Magnus doesn’t like these men, hence the fact that they they often end up with another woman in bed with them instead. 

“You’re not into him?” Camille arches her eyebrows, completely missing the point.  
“No that’s not what I’m saying. He’s a little uptight. It’s not gonna happen,” Magnus sighs.  
“You’re not fucking him either?” Camille asks with a laugh. 

Magnus has had enough. He doesn’t want to bring Alec into his dalliances with Camille because Alec is worth much more than that. Alec probably doesn’t do one night stands anyway and Magnus would not want him to be one. He doesn’t want to fuck Alec because anything he will do with Alec, if he ever gets the chance, will be sweet and soft and meaningful. 

He wants to text Alec after a date and thank him for a lovely night. Magnus wants to wake up to Alec cooking breakfast for them rather than getting dressed and eating left over snacks. Magnus doesn’t want Camille in the picture if he ever gets a chance with Alec, actually. 

“He’s a dinner type is what I’m trying to say,” he snaps at her. 

Camille gaps and drops it, too surprised to react. Magnus shakes his head and jumps on board when he hears Jace telling him to hurry up. Camille doesn’t call after him. Magnus didn’t expect her to.  
  
  
  
Magnus inhales deeply, savoring the salty tang of sea water lingering in the air. They’re rocking slightly in the middle of the ocean, some boats in the distance but the sound of the other parties going on don’t quite reach Jace’s boat. 

A breeze tangles Magnus’ hair right in front of his eyes, bleached strands curling on his forehead. Beers clang together and Raphael reclines in the sun, soaking up as much as he can before he goes back to working three jobs at a time. 

Raphael’s golden skin shines in the sun and he looks like an angel, not unlike his name, when he lies still. A work of art maybe, from the Renaissance if they had boats and headphones at the time. Magnus makes a note to suggest modeling to the other man, if he needs more extra cash. 

Magnus’ feet are dangling off the edge, flip-flops forgotten somewhere on the boat and Ragnor is swimming near them, enjoying having the sea all to himself before Pandemonium joins in. 

It’s a wonder the manager’s blond hair doesn’t turn green in the water. Magnus is half-tempted to compare him to a frog just to annoy his friend but he doesn’t want to face the consequences of such provocation. Ragnor will always be his little cabbage, no matter that he’s the one paying Magnus. 

“How was college for you?” Jace asks, longing in his voice.

Magnus turns around, leaning on his hands as he pays attention to the conversation. Jace didn’t ask him, because Magnus didn’t go to college and they all know it. Luke is leaning against the fence of the boat, his leg drawn up to his chest in order to rest his arm on his knee. His dark skin is oily with whatever product he applied earlier and Magnus wonders where he bought his colorful shorts. 

“Well it was fun, until my college fraternity kicked me out of my own start up,” Luke sighs.  
“What do you mean?” Alec interrupts.

The young man looks gorgeous, his hair slicked back with the wind. Alec got rid of his shirt at some point and sticks to what little shade he can find on the boat. Magnus might have seen it a few times, he doesn’t get tired of Alec’s clumsy ways, almost getting stuck in his shirt every time he takes it off. 

“The Clave was like my family, I looked up to the guys and they made me want to be better. So I built a startup from the ground,” Luke shrugs. “They fired me as soon as it gained enough attention to make money.” 

Alec frowns and Magnus loves the way he gets riled up with inequalities and injustice. The younger man is a kind and spirited soul, he doesn’t like to stand back in the face of something he finds unfair. 

“Assholes,” Jace swears under his breath. 

Magnus smiles to himself. It’s no wonder Alec and Jace get along. They fist bump, understanding each other without needing to say anything and isn’t that a glorious sight? Jace in his fairness and the wings spreading on his back, Alec with a dark crown of hair and the arrow piercing his throat like a death sentence. Magnus can almost picture them as the main protagonists of a saga. 

“Don’t you miss it, sometimes?” Lorenzo cuts in. “I can’t imagine my life any other way.”  
“You never graduated,” Magnus points out.

It’s true. Lorenzo is the eternal student, stripping for some sort of extra income because being a barista doesn’t pay much. It covers the bills. The stripper’s hair is loose, for once and he’s rubbing yet another layer of sunscreen on his skin, careful not to get sunburned. 

“I can’t make up my mind, everything is so interesting. Ancient history? Art? Chemistry or mechanics?” Lorenzo replies lazily. 

Magnus doesn’t argue. He doesn’t know, because he couldn’t afford college. He’s not the only one and Jace speaks up, sitting in the sun as though it can’t get to him. The blond has never been one to get dizzy from standing in the light, he relishes in it.

“I don’t think I’m smart enough for college and with my grandma I couldn’t go to the games with my team so I didn’t get a scholarship,” Jace sighs.

Alec looks embarrassed at that and stands up quickly, wiping imaginary dust off his black trunks. It’s a shame he didn’t put the baby pink ones Isabelle told Magnus about, the older man thinks distractedly.

“I’m going for a swim,” Alec mumbles.

He does just that, walking up to the edge of the boat and diving gracefully into blue green water not unlike his eyes. Nobody pays attention to him but Magnus stares wistfully at the mop of dark hair in the water. He longs to join Alec in the ocean and really, is there a reason not to? 

Ragnor climbs up the side of the boat, soaked and grumpy when he finds that Magnus spilled his beer onto Ragnor’s towel. It’s a good enough reason to jump off the boat before the manager pushes Magnus in the water himself.

If Magnus does a back flip instead of simply diving, well who can blame him? He _can_ do it and might as well enjoy it. He emerges near Alec, shaking his head to get rid of the water falling onto his eyes. The ocean is on the slightly colder side today but Magnus doesn’t mind, swimming closer to Alec instead. 

“Hey,” the younger man sighs.  
“Hi,” Magnus replies easily. 

They ebb closer with the gentle sway of the ocean and that seems to spur Alec on as he starts talking without needing Magnus to nudge him.

“I lost my scholarship, when people like Jace couldn’t even get one in the first place.”  
“What happened?” Magnus prods gently.  
“I had a basket ball scholarship and I got into a fistfight with my coach because I couldn’t stand him anymore. The guy was an asshole and he kept making these homophobic remarks every time we lost or to spur us on during a game… Needless to say I also had to come out to my parents when I told them about it. That’s why I’m living with Izzy.” 

And Magnus knows Alec is gay, of course he knows. But hearing it from Alec himself settles something within him. He wasn’t lying when he told Camille that Alec is a dinner kind of guy, because Magnus would like something serious with someone like Alexander. Knowing that Alec is out is just the reassurance he needs because there are many things that could deter Magnus but not this, at least.

He’s older than Alec, for one and not sure being a stripper actually works in his favor this time. Magnus holds back a sigh, swimming closer to Alec again to squeeze his arm gently for lack of anything comforting to say. What’s done is done. 

Alec glances down at the blurry shape of Magnus’ hand on his upper arm, golden and silver skin shining as the sun hits the water and explodes in fragmented light on the surface. 

Magnus frowns and goes to retract his hand, mindful of respecting Alec’s boundaries (something he struggles to do) when the younger man grabs his wrist and, after a moment of hesitation, entwines their fingers. 

“I’m glad I met you. I found a job and people I really enjoy working with, which is telling because I would never have thought stripping was my thing. And it’s all thanks to you,” Alec says.  
“Well, it’s not your usual summer job,” Magnus replies uneasily, shrugging. 

He doesn’t know what to make of Alec’s hand in his. The waves bring them closer together and their ankles brush. Alec looks at Magnus like he’s the only thing in the entire ocean and Magnus is just about to do something he might regret when the younger man speaks again. 

“True. But I think it’s good, in a way. I needed something like that.” 

Magnus smiles, batting his eyelashes and he wants to kiss Alec, not for the first time. Just once again, but as usual it doesn’t feel like the right time. Is there such a thing as the right time? He hopes so, else he lost too many opportunities already and maybe he’s running out of those. 

“I hope we can stay in touch when I go back to uni,” Alec adds.

The younger man bites his lips, looking embarrassed that he let it slip but Magnus beams. And maybe he missed his cue, as Pandemonium jumps in the water and the ocean explodes in crystal, a gleeful laugh that wets Magnus’ cheeks. Ragnor remains on the boat, drying in the sun and glaring at Magnus who doesn’t mind all that much.

Summer ends all too soon, but it sounds like the beginning of something with Alec.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec went back to school and the Downworld club in Miami is finally ready.  
> What does it mean for Alec and Magnus, though?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So, I finally learned how to format dialogue. Enjoy? ;)

Magnus follows Catarina inside the restaurant, dragging his feet. Back to school is always hard on the Downworld and even more this time. He misses Alec, struggles with money still and even though having dinner with Cat is always a treat… Well Magnus doesn’t feel like it. 

It’s her night off though and he would never miss out on quality time with Catarina. The nurse sits elegantly at the table she reserved for them and he settles in front of her, looking around. The lights are dim and soft music plays in the background. Burgundy carpet muffled their steps across the room and the tables are covered with white tablecloth. Cutlery glints softly and when people cheers, the clink of glasses echoes around them. 

“This is fancy,” Magnus comments offhandedly.

“Well, you’ve saved about 13 grand, that’s worth celebrating!” Cat replies warmly.

They share a smile as the waiter approaches them. They order some wine with their meal and Magnus relaxes into easy conversation with his friend. Catarina looks lovely in a black dress and they’ll go clubbing afterwards, if they’re not sleepy with too much good food. 

“How is that boy you told me about? Alec?” Cat asks over dessert.

“Huh… I haven’t heard from him in a while.” Magnus replies, looking away.

“Oh Magnus, I’m sorry...”

“It’s not like that. He went back to uni and he’s not part of Pandemonium anymore. But he wants to keep in touch, we just haven’t found the time between his classes and my schedule...” 

“Well that’s good news if he wants to see you though. Are you going to ask him on a date?” Cat prods encouragingly.

“I don’t know. I’ll see how it goes when we meet for coffee.” Magnus shrugs.

Catarina doesn’t argue and licks her plate, forgetting about her manners. The stripper chuckles and kicks her under the table before a familiar figure catches his eye. 

It’s Camille, walking in with a man on her arm. The stranger brushes blond strands of hair away from her face, tucking them behind Camille’s ear with the familiarity only good friends, family and couples have. 

When the man leans in to kiss her, it’s obvious what kind of relationship Magnus unwittingly witnessed. He stands up anyway and walks up to them, waving Cat’s concerns away. 

Camille wears a red dress that Magnus remembers taking off her when they first met. She leans against the man accompanying her, tilting her head to rest her cheek on the man’s shoulder. Her doll like face is a gold and silver ornament to his white shirt. She catches sight of Magnus before he can interrupt them rudely like he intended.

“Oh my god, Magnus! What are you doing here?” Camille asks, smiling innocently.

“I thought you were out of town,” he says instead of replying. 

“Yeah, I decided to stay,” she dismisses.

“Great. What’s up man? Magnus,” the stripper introduces himself.

“Ralf.”

Magnus looks pointedly between Camille and Ralf, waiting for an explanation. She falters, realizing that Magnus won’t drop it and sighs loudly, patting Ralf’s chest. The man’s brown hair and striking green eyes are unexpected and he’s not bulky like the men Camille used to point out for her dalliances with Magnus. The blonde squirms and finally admits what is going on between her and Ralf, but it’s worse than what the stripper expected.

“Ralf is my fiancé.” 

“What?” Magnus chokes.

He knew it was something like this, of course, the moment he saw Camille but it hurts none the less. Ralf looks uncomfortable, glancing between Magnus and Camille as though he was not aware of the blonde’s dalliances outside of wedlock. Magnus hopes it breaks Ralf’s heart a little too and that he messed up Camille’s games. She doesn’t deserve to get away with this.

“Well, sounds like you’ve got a few things to talk about. I’ll leave you to it.”

The stripper straightens his spine as he walks away. Magnus’ face crumbles as soon as his back is turned though and Catarina hurries to pay for their meals, dragging him outside.

“Come on Magnus, I told you not to go!” she scolds.

“I needed it. For closure,” Magnus sobs. 

He wipes his running nose on his silk shirt and leans against the wall with a heavy sigh. Magnus just wants to curl up on the floor, hold his knees to his chest and get it all out. He always knew Camille was not serious but this hurts more than he thought it would. She’s getting married! How can she do something like that to her fiancé? 

Catarina calls him a cab and climbs in with him, muttering that he should not have returned his car just yet when they get stuck in traffic. Magnus chuckles helplessly and scrambles out of the cab as soon as they pull up in front of his building, shoving a few bills in the driver’s hand. 

“Why is it so difficult to find someone, Cat?” 

She doesn’t reply, probably because she doesn’t have anyone either. Catarina is busy with her work at the hospital, she doesn’t have time for dating. At least she seems happy this way, surrounded by her friends instead. 

Magnus is a stripper and he just turned thirty. He doesn’t think he has much time left to settle down, if it’s not too late already. What has he been doing, losing time with people like Camille? What is he doing, considering dating a twenty years old? 

“Stop thinking whatever you’re thinking,” Catarina scolds again. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

The nurse helps him out of his clothes, a good outfit that would have been perfect for a night out clubbing and throws the comforter over Magnus with a gentle smile. She sits on the side of the bed, brushing his hair out of his eyes before removing his make up with gentle swipes of her hand. 

He relaxes into the familiarity of his friend caring for him and Catarina kisses his forehead before heading out with a promise to call him the next morning.  
  
  
  
Magnus looks for the coffee shop Lorenzo works at, feeling very out of place on the campus. Students mingle on well kept lawns and the constant flow of people coming in and out of the nearest building is somehow intimidating. They have their earphones on or are chatting among themselves and Magnus doesn’t feel like asking for help.

He’s not sure he fits in among the students milling around and tugs on his aquamarine shirt with bronze ornaments. The neckline feels too deep now, whereas Magnus hoped to give a hint to Alec in with the alluring shirt. He’s not quite sure what he’s doing. Magnus is too old for Alec but he can’t walk away without at least making his intentions clear. That’s what Catarina said, at least. 

Magnus avoids bumping into a distracted student and finally notices the sign of the coffee shop in the distance. He hurries, not quite running but definitely making sure he’s not running late either. Hopefully Lorenzo doesn’t work that shift, Magnus doesn’t want his coworker to mention that he met Alec for coffee.

This is not a date, at least not if Alec doesn’t want it to be and so far, the younger man just mentioned catching up with Magnus. Alec is already there when the stripper walks in and fortunately, Lorenzo is nowhere to be seen. 

“Hi,” Magnus breathes out, reaching to touch Alec’s elbow. 

“Hey,” the student replies easily.

He’s smiling, turning around to face Magnus properly and his baggy sweater is almost endearing. Especially knowing what Alec is hiding underneath, but Magnus really should not be thinking of such things. 

The arrow piercing Alec’s throat stands out in the relatively quiet coffee shop, preppy young adults typing away on their computers and some art students spreading their supplies on a few tables as they draw abstract shapes. Alec shuffles his feet and Magnus turns his attention on him again when the student speaks up. 

“Did you find the coffee shop alright? I know it’s confusing when you’re not a student.”

“Yeah, the trickiest part was figuring out public transportation,” Magnus waves Alec’s concern away. 

“Oh, you didn’t drive here?” Alec perks up, frowning.

“No, I returned the car. I’m going to miss it though, it was by far my favorite.” 

They order and find a table to sit at but Alec feels a bit distant. Magnus holds onto his cup of coffee as he studies Alec’s messy hair and somewhat closed off expression as he talks about his classes. 

There is a messenger bag on the floor, containing Alec’s notebooks and Magnus noticed blotches of ink of the younger man’s hand. He likes that Alec writes his notes down even though Magnus has an inkling it’s probably because Alec could not afford a computer when he lost his scholarship and his parent’s financial support. But he probably has enough money to buy something now and the fact that Alec is still writing his notes by hand is endearing. 

“So, I’ve seen the stripping. Izzy told me something about you being an entrepreneur?” Alec prompts him after a while, stumbling on the foreign word.

“It’s _entrepreneur_ actually,” Magnus correct fondly. “It’s French. You know about working as a tour guide too but the whole endgame is the jewelry making business I’m trying to start.” 

“Jewelry making? You must be really good with your hands,” Alec comments.

Magnus looks at him, stiffing a giggle and Alec doesn’t get it at first, frowning and undoubtedly going over what he said in an attempt to get the joke. The student blushes fiercely when he finally realizes what has Magnus chuckling and ducks his head, refusing to meet the stripper’s eyes.

“I did not say that...” 

“I’m glad you made that point,” Magnus teases.

They chat a bit more after that, but Alec has a class to get to and Magnus needs to give a tour soon. Tourists don’t stop coming when students go back to school, not in a city like New York. 

“I’ll see you soon?” Magnus asks more than he says.

“Yeah.” 

Alec nods awkwardly and he’s gone before Magnus can get a feel of what kind of setting and mood they’re going for, next time they meet up. Alec does not give anything away and Magnus wonders, not for the first time, if the younger man is interested. At least he doesn’t look disgusted. 

When they meet again, Magnus insists that they go for a drink rather than coffee. Alec arrives after him at the bar this time and joins Magnus at the counter, looking uncomfortable in his leather jacket. The stripper immediately regrets his choice and scrambles off his stool. 

Magnus’ hair threatens to fall out of the careful spikes he swiped up for tonight’s hair style and he glances anxiously at his reflection behind the counter. The blue streaks displayed in his hair are still raising up, proud and unrelenting so he sighs in relief and adjusts his mostly unbuttoned crimson shirt before turning to Alec. 

“You don’t like this place. I’m sorry, we can go somewhere else if you want,” Magnus babbles. 

“No! It’s fine, Magnus. I worked with you at the Downworld, I can handle a bar.” Alec reassures him quickly.

Magnus clamps his mouth shut and looks at Alec more closely. The student’s unease is definitely linked to the crowd gathered around them to get drinks, moving back and forth from the dance floor to the games of pool and darts going on in the corner. 

But Alec steps closer to Magnus and feeling his warmth at his side, well the stripper can’t complain about this. So he swallows nervously and orders, giving advice when Alec asks for his input. 

They find a table in a secluded corner and Magnus stirs his martini, waiting for the student’s feedback on his own cocktail. Alec winces but doesn’t choke on the drink so Magnus takes it as a win, smiling encouragingly. They settle comfortably, Alec removes his jacket and Magnus’ eyes are drawn to the inscription on his left arm, _ave atque vale_. The stripper doesn’t have time to be nosy though and it’s probably for the best.

“So, what’s up with Miami?” Alec asks him.

“Oh it’s ready to go. We’re opening next month!” Magnus replies excitedly.

Alec mutters his congratulations and looks away, to Magnus’ dismay. The stripper frowns, leaning forward and brushes his fingers on Alec’s hand. The bar is noisy and when someone wins a round of darts or pool, people cheer.

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing. I’m happy for you, this clearly means a lot to you,” Alec shrugs.

And it does, with the club in Miami Magnus might finally be able to repay his debt. If every thing goes well, it could finance his jewelry making business too. So he relaxes in his seat and tells Alec all about it, waving his hands around when his glass is empty.

The stripper glances around as the bar grows quiet and upon noticing the games are free, drags Alec over there. Magnus is glad for his figure hugging outfit, knowing he can show off while playing and he hopes this time they can call this a date instead of drinks. 

“You play?” Alec asks, gesturing at the pool table. 

“I dabble,” Magnus replies easily.

He hustles Alec. The student is helpful, giving him pointers and never playing to win. Magnus chuckles to himself when Alec finally catches on and the game turns more competitive from then on. Alec wins the second round but Magnus manages to win a second time on their third round and Alec asks for a rematch with throwing darts. 

Magnus regrets it the moment Alec hits bull’s eyes without even trying. But he likes the way the younger man’s blue eyes shine with mirth and well, maybe Magnus doesn’t mind losing this game if he’s playing against Alec. 

It’s nice and easy, the kind of night off the stripper needs to keep on track with his schedule while enjoying his free time. He’s not ready to say goodbye when Alec smiles sadly and mentions that he should go. Magnus sighs, following him out of the bar and they linger on the side walk. 

“I’ll see you soon,” Magnus finally says, reluctantly. 

“Yeah,” Alec replies a little breathlessly.

And this time, Magnus is pretty sure this is a date, except maybe in name. He steps forward, hoping for a kiss, but Alec turns away. Magnus is left hanging, a cold breeze kissing his parted lips instead as he watches the student disappear around the corner.

  


* * *

  


Alec slumps down on the couch. It’s Isabelle’s but she moved in with Simon and left Alec with most of the flat’s furniture. He’s not complaining, of course not, his big sister is wonderful. Alec is not sure he can be a good uncle, the kind this child will need. Isabelle was always his rock growing up and even as an adult, so Alec wants to be this kind of person for his nephew, Max. 

He sighs and rolls on his stomach, checking the time. Magnus doesn’t have much time this week so he offered to have drinks at his place and introduce Alec to his cat, Chairman Meow. Alec should be leaving already so he grabs his combat boots and gets going, musing on the older man’s upcoming departure. 

When does he move to Miami? Alec doesn’t want Magnus to go but there is nothing to be done and part of him wants the stripper gone so Alec can move on and nurse his broken heart. It’s not as though a man like Magnus would have any interest in Alec anyway. The student has seen Camille and knows he doesn’t have much to offer next to a woman like that. 

Alec doesn’t want to be a fling either, so he’ll just have to wonder what it feels like to hold Magnus in his arms, give up on feeling those soft lips against his again. He remembers the taste of the caramel skin he never seemed to see enough of at the Downworld and knows how light Magnus’ hand feels in his. 

He finds Magnus’ building easily and is ushered inside quickly, cringing as he side steps a spider on the way to the penthouse. Magnus is waiting for Alec at the top of the stairs, leaning against the door frame of his loft with a welcoming smile. 

Alec’s breath catches in his throat at the sight of see-through burgundy fabric laced with gold and he averts his eyes. He doesn’t want Magnus to see the sheer longing in his eyes. 

“Alexander!” Magnus greets him. 

The younger man shivers with the way vowels and consonants roll together on Magnus’ tongue. It’s unfair but Alec cannot find it in him to complain and smiles instead, following the stripper inside the loft. A cat peers at them from the top of a bookshelf and Magnus coos. It makes Alec smile more openly.

“This is Chairman Meow,” Magnus makes the introductions. “Chairman, Alec.” 

“Hi Chairman,” Alec chuckles.

The cat’s pointed coat is warm and welcoming so when he jumps down and comes near, Alec doesn’t think twice before reaching down to pet the light brown fur, darker on The Chairman’s legs, face and tail.

“He likes you,” Magnus says almost reverently.

Alec shrugs and they move to sit down. Magnus’ loft is cozy, with sparkly quilts thrown over the back of the couch. The coffee table is covered in jewelry in the making and Alec looks at it with interest, curious about the pearls and seashells Magnus is weaving into leather straps and intricate pieces of string laced together. The feline loses interest in them and disappears further into the penthouse. 

“Would you like something to drink?” Magnus offers.

“Well you said we would have drinks,” Alec shrugs.

“That’s doesn’t tell me what you want to drink, darling.” 

Alec ends up with hot chocolate because he can’t convince Magnus that he’s fine with alcohol. He won’t admit it, but he enjoys it much more. The older man puts some music on, soft and sensual and it brings a smile to Alec’s lips as he relaxes into the couch.

He misses stripping, not the work but the feeling of million eyes on him. He has never felt more confident than on stage and when his gaze lingers on Magnus, Alec remembers the picture they painted together. What would he give to see them together again? 

He rolls his sleeves up, it’s warm inside and Alec’s hoodie feels heavy on his shoulders. The gesture reveals the inscription on his arm and the student can see Magnus checking it out. The older man never asked, because he is respectful and always mindful of Alec’s boundaries. Maybe that’s the reason Alec tells him about it.

“I got the arrow first with Izzy, but she got hers removed. She regretted the tattoos because she got over whatever heartache pushed her to do it. I didn’t, it felt like I was suffocating at a time and I needed a way out. The arrow was better than the other option.” 

Alec falls silent. He doesn’t know if he can put it into words, remembers the shame at the very idea. He couldn’t leave Izzy alone, so he got tattooed instead. It’s a constant reminder that he has a reason to be here. Soon, he’ll have another one. Alec cannot wait to meet Max, even if he’s afraid he won’t be what his nephew needs while growing up.

“Ave atque vale, hail and farewell… it grounds me.”

He shrugs, this means too much to be put into words. If Alec stares at the tattoo long enough, maybe he’ll overcome this daily struggle. He cannot wait for the day he leaves it behind, has taken many steps towards that new dawn already. 

Magnus nods slowly and sips his whiskey, tactful enough not to say anything. Alec smiles, a bashful grin and they sit in silence for a while, watching the sun set over Brooklyn through the glass-door leading to the balcony. 

“I was going to kiss you, outside the bar,” Magnus says out of the blue.

Alec tenses and puts his cup of chocolate on the coffee table, turning towards the older man. What is he supposed to reply to that? He wanted to kiss Magnus too and left before he did something he might regret. Alec regrets it anyway. 

“You don’t want to anymore?” he asks instead of dwelling on this thought.

Magnus puts his glass away as well and shakes his head, a fond smile lighting up his whole face. His eyes are circled with eyeliner and colorful eyeshadow makes them pop. It’s always a struggle to look away and Alec inhales deeply when he realizes he’s holding his breath.

“Oh darling, I want to kiss you again since the lap dance I gave you.” 

And suddenly, Magnus’ lips are against his. Alec gasps as cold rings bite his jaw as the older man cups his face gently, angling them just right. Alec reaches to grab the stripper’s waist, kissing him back. The wet slide of Magnus’ lips against his sends tingles down his spine and the student moans into the kiss when Magnus flicks his tongue. 

They break apart reluctantly, foreheads pressed together and Alec catches his breath because Magnus took it away. He’s almost grateful, because he doesn’t have to overthink this thing between them anymore. Alec dips his head for another kiss and Magnus melts into him with a sigh, their knees pressing together. 

It feels like forever before they let go of each other. Alec breathes in, eyes closed still and brushes his knuckles along Magnus’ side, neck and cheek. The position must be uncomfortable for him and the stripper catches onto Alec’s thought, smiling gently. He nods towards what looks like the bedroom and Alec frowns. 

It comes back to him suddenly, that he doesn’t want to be a fling. So Alec shakes his head and moves away. Magnus stares at him, surprised and the light in his eyes dims.

“I can’t do this,” Alec whispers. 

“Is it because of my job?”

Alec opens his mouth to explain but no words come out. He never took the time to worry about what being a stripper means in a relationship. It’s not much of a problem to Alec, seemingly, because he has seen the older man work and trusts him but Magnus doesn’t wait for Alec to gather himself. 

“I’m not my lifestyle. I’m not my goddamn job, that’s why I want to open the club in Miami. I don’t want to be some 40-years-old stripper. I want to own something, I’ve been trying this whole time…” 

Magnus chokes on too many words and Alec feels awful. He knows how important this jewelry making is to Magnus, has heard whispered talks about money and owing money, too. 

“So you don’t believe in anything I’ve said to you?” the stripper’s voice breaks.

“Magnus, I think the question is, do you believe it? I think that Miami is just going to be a bigger, badder version of this. I’m going to be here, but good luck to you,” Alec cuts in.

He stands up, hates himself for leaving Magnus with his head bowed and his shoulders hunched. But Alec has to protect his heart too and when he walks out, he doesn’t look back. It will only hurt more.  
  
  
  
Alec comes back from his classes with a headache. There is a car he has never seen before in front of the building, a blue Jaguar that reminds him of Magnus. It’s not the first time this week, because he keeps thinking of Magnus and wondering. What if he had stayed, taken what he could get? This is just like before, he had a taste and can’t get enough. 

Is it worth the heartache? 

He misses Izzy, or at least her presence in the flat. It makes sense that she moved in with Simon of course, with Max and because Alec likes his independence usually. But right now, he wishes he had someone to talk to. Clary and Jace are busy dating. Alec has been avoiding the coffee shop Lorenzo works at, lest he’s tempted to ask the older man about Magnus. 

There is someone at the door when he turns the corner and Alec stops, frowning. Isabelle would have let herself in, she still has her keys but the student cannot think of anyone else that would stop by. 

“Hi,” the figure says when they see Alec.

It’s Magnus, looking like a pale copy of himself in a gray, long sleeved shirt and dark slacks. Alec stops walking and swallows with difficulty. He doesn’t know what to say and if he’s honest, he’s not sure he wants to hear whatever the stripper came to tell him. 

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you working today? Or getting ready to move to Miami?” Alec mumbles.

Magnus frowns at that and takes a step forward but it feels hesitant, a far cry from his usual poise and grace. Even his makeup is lighter than usual, missing lipstick and eye shadow. Alec hates that it might be his fault.

“I just need to talk,” Magnus says. 

“Okay. Come in?” 

Alec opens the door and gestures helplessly for the older man to follow him. Magnus goes to sit on the couch and stares at him while Alec drops his messenger bag to the floor and hovers on the other side of the coffee table. The student not sure what he’s supposed to do and doesn’t intend to say anything. Magnus is the one who wants to talk. 

“Look, I’m not going to Miami,” Magnus starts off firmly.

“You’re not?” 

“Yeah. I don’t know what made you think that I was, but I’m not. Ragnor and I are opening the new club together, I own half of the business and it will help me clean the credit issues I was left with when my mother died after months of intensive care that failed to cure her cancer and my father committed suicide.”

Magnus shrugs like it’s nothing but Alec feels himself tearing up on the older man’s behalf. He wonders if Magnus came to tell him something else though, because he looked taken aback when Alec mentioned moving to Miami so obviously the stripper had other things in mind. Magnus proves him right a moment later, speaking up again.

“I came here to tell you that stripping is all I have for now and if that’s an issue for you then I won’t push. But I find it hard to believe since you worked at the Downworld, you of all people know what it’s like. Even Jace and Clary manage to date so I’m not sure I understand what’s wrong with being a stripper.” 

“There is nothing wrong with being a stripper!” Alec exclaims loudly. 

He can’t let Magnus think that way, doesn’t want to make Magnus feel so ashamed of himself because to Alec, there is nothing wrong with him, with this, with _them_.

“Magnus, I’ve never felt better about myself than when I was on stage _with you_. I just… I thought you were moving across the country. I didn’t want to try something only to give up on you straight away.” 

It makes Magnus smile and really, if there is one thing Alec wants to do for the rest of his life, it’s this. He walks around the coffee table to sit next to the older man and hesitates before taking Magnus’ hands in his. Alec smiles shyly when he looks up.

“I want to be with you,” he says at least.

Magnus’ smile widens at that and they press their foreheads together, staring in each other’s eyes. Alec feels a bit silly for the misunderstanding but it doesn’t matter anymore, not when Magnus relaxes and sighs happily, squeezing his hand.

“So if you could wake up and do the one thing that would make you the happiest?” Alec asks in a whisper, remembering their last conversation.

“The happiest?” Magnus repeats slowly.

“Yeah, money aside.” 

“I would just wake up and make jewelry every day,” the older man sighs. 

They smile to each other before Magnus’ eyes turn mischievous. He leans in, the glint in his golden gaze a tad threatening. Alec has a feeling he won’t like what the older man is going to say.

“What about you? Since stripping was your epiphany? Have I set you on the path of self-discovery?” 

Alec groans and lets go of Magnus’ hand to push him back gently. It makes the older man laugh but Magnus doesn’t relent, asking again.

“I mean, I gave you your first lap dance,” he teases. “Nobody ever gave me a lap dance.”

“Nobody?” Alec perks up at that. 

“Never,” Magnus confirms.

“Okay then.” 

Alec stands up and moves away to put some music on, gesturing at Magnus to make himself comfortable. A delightful chuckle echoes in the living room before the music starts playing and Magnus sends him a cheeky wink when Alec turns around.

“Let’s see what you can do, pretty boy.” 

It makes Alec blush, of course but he has learned to shrug it off now and simply sheds his hoodie as he moves closer to Magnus. The older man watches him intently and mirth suits him so well that Alec finds it hard to be embarrassed when he lowers himself on Magnus’ lap a moment later. Magnus tries to grab his waist and Alec swats the older man’s hands away. 

“No-touching rule,” he reminds with a smirk. 

“I don’t even get whipped cream,” Magnus pouts.

Alec rolls his hips intently and Magnus falls silent, throwing his head back with a sigh. There is something exhilarating in knowing the older man is aroused and Alec can allow himself to be too, almost hoping that they take this to the bedroom by the end of the song. 

The low hum of the bass plays slowly, a sensual beat to guide Alec’s hips as he fiddles with the collar of Magnus’ shirt, undoing the buttons there. He runs his fingers along the length of the older man’s throat, tangles them in Magnus’ hair before losing all pretense of dancing to kiss Magnus instead. 

And their lips move in sync as Magnus’ arches against him, both of them fully clothed still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end. I'm always surprised when I write the last sentence. Honestly, stories tend to write themselves. Anyway, thank you so much for reading, hopefully you liked this ♥


	7. Bonus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m not my lifestyle. I’m not my goddamn job, that’s why I want to open the club in Miami. I don’t want to be some 40-years-old stripper. I want to own something, I’ve been trying this whole time…” 
> 
> Where are they now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Alec glances at Magnus through the window of the car, smiling at the specks of glitter shining on Magnus’ high cheekbones. Magnus bites his lip, waiting, and the sun hangs high in the sky, wrapping his naked chest in a halo of gold. Alec could go blind just watching his boyfriend, and doesn’t see much of the empty gas station behind Magnus because he’s been staring for too long.

They’ve been together for a few years now. Magnus quit his job as a stripper when his business blew up, and Alec got a position in historical archives. They don’t have to worry about much anymore, except maybe taxes, but even those can wait. Isabelle didn’t ask for Alec to baby-sit Max this week, and Magnus suggested they took off to spend the evening on Long Island.

Magnus climbs back into the car and Alec can’t help but get a taste of those bitten lips. He loves how plush they feel under his, and the wet slide of their mouths makes Alec’s toes curl.

Magnus kisses him back just as eagerly. He leans in intently to rest his hand on Alec’s thigh and brushes his thumb over the hem of Alec’s shorts, teasing the naked skin there. It’s a familiar touch, one that Alec likes and welcomes with an appreciative moan when they part.

He tips his head and dives right back in. Alec slides his hand in Magnus’ loose hair, tugging just enough on the curling strands to make his boyfriend want to climb across the console. They get lost in each over easily, and Magnus tastes of sugar, the ice cream they picked up on the way.

The impatient horn of the car behind them honks and they startle, nearly bumping into each other.

“What was that for?” Magnus asks him, his voice low as he settles back in his seat.

“No reason,” Alec replies, grinning.

The sun dips slowly over the horizon as they leave the gas station, and Alec hopes they’ll make it to the beach on time to see the sunset at least.

The engine roars when Magnus speeds up and Alec relaxes in his seat, enjoying the ride towards Long Island. Music plays softly in the car, and Alec hums along, lacing their fingers together when Magnus lays his hand, palm up, on the console. They fit perfectly, Magnus’ palm soft and warm against his.

The sight that awaits them takes Alec’s breath away. He remembers bathing in blue-green waters with Magnus, once. It’s a sea of diamonds tonight, and they park the car on the edge of the beach.

Alec leaves his flip-flops in the car and walks around to hold the door for Magnus. The Jaguar is theirs, and Magnus steals a kiss as he steps out, making Alec grin. He follows Magnus on the sand and rolls his eyes when his boyfriend takes off his flip-flops with a dejected sigh.

“There,” Alec extends his hand to carry them for Magnus.

Magnus beams, as Alec’s fingers wrap around rhinestone. Magnus is only wearing bright blue shorts with a pattern of black cats, and Alec’s eyes trail down the smear of glitter on Magnus’ collar bones. Alec shakes his head before he ends up staring at his boyfriend’s crotch, but holds his other hand out for Magnus to take.

They walk off in the sunset, the waves lapping at their feet.

Alec squeezes Magnus’ hand in his, listening to the lazy lullaby of the ocean. They stroll along the shore, hand in hand, and the sun drifts over the sparkling sea, reluctant to disappear just yet. The water is like twilight dipped in liquid silver and Alec sighs deeply.

“What do you say we go for a swim,” Magnus suggests slyly.

His eyes are bright and Alec arches an eyebrow, setting Magnus’ shoes in the sand. He takes his shirt and shorts off, peeking at Magnus who takes off his shorts too. Alec doesn’t get tired of Magnus’ caramel skin, and has to shake himself out of it and trail his eyes back up when Magnus takes off running, jumping in the water.

Alec follows and they bathe in a sea of diamonds, hovering close to each other as the waves carry them further away from the shore. Magnus wraps his arms around Alec’s shoulders, fingers gliding over the shaft of the arrow tattooed on Alec’s neck. The ink fades with time, and Alec is finally free to breathe, sharing the same air as Magnus.

They kiss, and the sea dances all around, waves rolling up to embrace them.

**Author's Note:**

>  **I take prompts!** Follow me [on tumblr](https://myulalie.tumblr.com/post/637141364802469888/string-of-pearls-and-prompts) and get in touch, my ask box is open ♥
> 
>  **On feedback:**  
>  “<3” as extra kudos are fine by me. Short comments give me just as much of an adrenaline rush as longer comments because my email notifications don’t discriminate! I give as long as I get (*coughs* read: I reply at length) so you decide if we’re having a quickie in the comments or if you’re taking me out on a date to have an actual conversation ;)
> 
>  _Constructive criticism is welcome_. Please bear in mind that while I will take it into account, I will not rewrite a story that has already been published. I’d rather incorporate relevant feedback (read: concrete examples and suggestions as to how to address the element in question) into a new work and write a different take on the same plot! Once again, I give as good as I get ;)
> 
>  _You are not, by any means, required to comment if you don’t want to_. I will publish every chapter of a complete story no matter the response to it. Find some more thoughts and tips on commenting [on my tumblr](https://myulalie.tumblr.com/tagged/commenting), I make moodboards for my fics too, if you want to follow me :D Happy reading ♥


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